Star Trek Guenidier: The Complete Series
by Cpt. Ritter
Summary: They were framed, supposedly to rot in a cell for the rest of their lives, but the crew of the USS Guenidier would not simply die. They wouldn't give up. They'd find out who framed them, and bring them to justice.
1. Mx01 Whatever It Takes

_A/N: Special thanks goes to RedArrow and Angw for doing an awesome job with getting this work together. Their help is indispensable._

_Present Day_

Sean watched the jury come back into the room. A single juror passed a datapad to Admiral Henry Wolf. The African American Admiral did not shift his glare from Sean even as he took the datapad from the juror. The Jury then proceeded to the back of the room and left. The only sound in the courtroom was the hissing of the doors opening and closing.

"The defendant will rise." Admiral Wolf stated, finally breaking his stare and looking down at his data pad. The Admiral had a military trimmed hair cut and bearing. His imposing height kept Sean on edge, especially in the defendant pit.

The courtroom had three distinct sections, a raised stage in which the judge and the jury were placed, a pit where the defendant and his representative were supposed to sit, and another pit where the prosecution sat. It was a closed courtroom, leaving no place for spectators. Two armed guards stood at the door.

Sean rose to his feet, formerly known as Captain Sean Cunningham, now he was little more than Sean. "With respect sir..."

"The defendant will also remain silent." Admiral Wolf reiterated a note of anger in his voice, his expression otherwise unchanged. "You have been tried and found guilty in the destruction of the USS Pandora."

"Sir, the evidence against me and my crew is entirely false. We had nothing to do with the destruction of the Pandora!" Sean tried to explain. He felt small, despite his six foot stature.

The Admiral met Sean's eyes, silencing his attempts to explain. The dark black eyes reminded Sean of the event horizon of a black hole. "As of this moment, you and your senior staff are sentenced to a life term in the Federation Penal Colony on Bellaria. Your crew will be put in detention until it is decided how to deal with them. This sentence is merciful; do not try to debate it Mr. Cunningham." The Admiral motioned to the security guards in the back of the room. "Take him to his officers; he can inform them of how his actions have destroyed their careers too."

Sean briefly considered fighting the security guards off, but quickly realized it wouldn't do any good. His record had been soiled and no one would believe him after this, no matter what had really happened...

_2 Days Prior_

"Captain on the Bridge." Commander Klena announced as Sean entered, standing as she did. She kept her long brown hair restrained in a bun on the back of her head. Her clear blue eyes hid emotions, yet he could always tell when she was feeling them.

Sean waved the formalities imposed by his first officer off. She was a great first officer, efficient and diplomatic, but being a Vulcan also made it difficult to be informal with her. "You know better Commander." Sean said, sitting down in his chair. "What do we have?"

"It's a temporal energy signature." Lieutenant Kate Filander stated, meeting Sean's green eyes with her own deep brown eyes. "I've informed the Pandora." She paused, looking down at her readings, her long blond hair moving slightly as she did, even tied back in a pony tail. "It's in the nearby system, survey number 2105."

"Do we have an open comm line with the Pandora?" Sean glanced back over at Kate.

"Yes sir, I'll patch you through."

Less than a second later the view screen's image of space was replaced by an image of Captain Felicity Barnum, the commander of the Pandora. Captain Barnum was an imposing figure. Her face showed deep creases, signs of age: ten years of it. Her brown hair was tied back neatly out of the way. "Captain, what's your take on this temporal energy signature?"

"Hard to say Captain." Sean replied. "Though I think we need a closer look regardless."

"Agreed." Felicity mumbled.

"You take point; the Norway class has better scanners than the Guenidier. We'll bring up the rear." Sean was well aware of the differences between the two ships. The Guenidier was a Sabre class vessel and was significantly smaller than the Norway class Pandora. Its size prohibited a large sensor package.

"Sounds like a plan Captain." Felicity looked to her side for a second before looking back at him. "Keep an open comm line."

"Will do Captain." Sean replied. "Erica, bring us alongside the Pandora after we come out of warp." He said to Lieutenant Erica Dulmane, the ship's helmsman.

"Aye sir." Erica replied. Erica kept her black hair trimmed neatly at shoulder length. It remained loose, just within the regulations. She was small, barely five feet tall.

"The Pandora is going to warp." Lieutenant Commander Nathanial Stark said from tactical. Nathan was a big guy, athletically built. He stood six foot four, with a clean military hair cut that kept his brown hair short and out of the way.

"Moving to match course and speed." Erica mumbled. The Guenidier jumped to warp with a brief lurch that Sean could just barely feel in his gut.

The jump ended as quickly as it began, only a few seconds later. This time, the blank view of the stars was replaced by the imposing view of a gas giant and its myriad of moons. Sean didn't know the system, but if it had only been assigned a survey number, then it was probably without any value. No M class planets or natural resources.

"Bring us to the right and slightly behind the Pandora." Sean said, looking forward. "Kate, any change in the sensor readings?"

"Not yet." Kate replied, again checking her readings. "But we're definitely closer, the readings are more concise, but I still can't pinpoint their position or point of origin."

"Captain Barnum, any luck?" Sean asked over the open comm line.

"My ops officer thinks he may have something." Felicity replied. "It looks like it's emanating from the third moon of this gas giant. We're sending you our sensor readings."

"I have them." Kate said, displaying the readings on the view screen. "According to these readings, it should be coming from the dark side of that moon."

"How do you want to handle this Captain?" Sean asked, sitting back in his chair.

"Let's approach from opposite sides of the moon." Felicity replied. "That way if it is an alien ship of some sort we've got a better chance of spotting them."

"Agreed." Sean turned to Erica. "Bring us around the moon, one half impulse."

The Guenidier slowly moved around the moon, quickly becoming shrouded in darkness. Sean hated the dark sides of planetoids. On the dark side, just about anything could hide and be invisible. A cloaking device wasn't required.

"Sir, I recommend raising shields." Nathan said.

"There is little need for them." Klena said, looking over to Nathan. "We are not in a hostile situation."

"Klena..." Sean said, motioning for her to drop it. "Nathan, why?"

"Nothing concrete sir, I just have a bad feeling about it." Nathan replied, looking slightly unnerved.

"Good enough for me." Sean said. "Go to yellow alert and raise our shields."

The lighting on the bridge dimmed. It was a result of the increased power flow to the shield emitters. Sean looked to his side at Kate. "Anything now?"

"This is weird." Kate whispered, she stood up and pointed to the real time display. "See this distortion here; this is where my sensors are telling me the temporal signature is coming from. But there is nothing there." She returned to her seat. "Not even any subatomic particles!" She threw her hands up in the air.

"Captain?" Sean asked through the comm line.

"We heard. We're getting good sensor readings on that distortion now. It definitely has a cloaking field." Felicity said.

"But what's under it?" Nathan asked, voicing the question everyone was thinking about.

A readout from the Pandora replaced the view of space before them. It showed an object with a round space station like ring surrounding a rounded interior spherical object. "We've managed to show a shape of the object from our sensor readings based on where there is an absence of anything." Felicity said slowly. "The database is not recognizing the configuration."

"What about the temporal signature?" Sean idly tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair.

"I think the cloaking field is masking a lot of it." Felicity replied. "My ops officer estimates that it's large enough to have a full sized temporal rift underneath the field."

"That doesn't explain the cloaking device though." Sean said, standing up and thinking for a second. "Remember a report about the theoretical Starfleet Temporal Station?"

"No, what was it supposed to be?"

"Starfleet wanted an edge in larger battles. So the Starfleet Corp of Engineers wanted to make a station that was capable of taking an entire enemy attack fleet and moving them out of our space time for a brief period. Meanwhile, our ships could fire with impunity."

"Wouldn't weapons fire also be useless?" Felicity said skeptically, "and what about our own ships, wouldn't they be caught in it?"

"The report mentioned something about temporal shields, but I'm not entirely clear on it."

"You think that's what we're looking at?" Felicity asked.

"It's possible."

"If it's Starfleet then why weren't we informed?" Felicity looked skeptical on the view screen.

"Captain..." Kate said. "I'm detecting a surge in Neutrino emission directly above us."

"Source?" Sean asked.

"Ship decloaking directly above us, Defiant class." Nathan reported.

"Hail them."

"No response." Kate replied, a note of panic in her voice.

"They're powering weapons." Nathan reported his voice calm.

"Red alert, evasive maneuvers." Sean ordered. The alarms began to wail and the Bridge lighting dimmed appropriately. All within normal red alert parameters.

"They're firing on the Pandora!" Nathan yelled.

A burst of phaser fire and several quantum torpedoes slammed into the Pandora, ripping one of its warp nacelles off and blasting a hole in its triangular saucer section.

"I've had enough, return fire!"

"The Pandora has lost its shields, weapons, and engines." Kate stated.

"Firing phasers." Nathan said. The Guenidier's phaser banks fired rapidly at the Defiant as the Guenidier raced away. Each shot struck shields. "Minor damage to their shields."

"Captain, we've suffered heavy casualties!" Felicity said through the comm line, her voice ragged. Explosions could be heard in the background. "Primary systems are down. I'm transmitting to you everything we have. Get it back to Starfleet, do you hear me?"

"They're firing again." Nathan said quickly. The Defiant fired again. The Pandora split down the middle of its hull, breaking into two distinct pieces, spilling crewman into space. Secondary explosions ripped through each half, breaking the other warp nacelle off. The ship slowly disintegrated. "They are turning to engage us." The Defiant yawed so that it faced the Guenidier.

"Options people?" Sean yelled, as the first shots impacted the Guenidier's shields, causing the entire ship to shake. Sparks flew from a couple of conduits in the ceiling. Quantum torpedoes narrowly shot past the small ship.

"There are three unexploded deuterium canisters in the Pandora's wreckage, if we fire on them with our photon torpedoes, we could temporarily blind them." Kate suggested. "And bury our friends…"

Sean took a moment. "We don't have a choice, do it!" He knew it would obliterate what little was left of the Pandora. "Erica, prepare to go to maximum warp as soon as they explode."

The Guenidier turned around sharply; three photon torpedoes launched from its forward launchers and ignited the deuterium. The deuterium exploded seconds later, spilling a white cloud of superheated metal in all directions.

"Sensors are blind!" Kate shouted as the ship shook.

"Go to warp!" Sean yelled as the impact of the superheated metal sent tremors through the entire ship.

The Guenidier arched away from the moon and raced to warp.

"Status?" Sean asked, finally releasing his grip from the armrests on his chair.

"No sign of pursuit." Nathan stated.

"Minor damage, mainly to the sensor grid." Klena said. "No casualties."

"Did we get the data from the Pandora?"

"Yes sir." Kate said.

"Then let's make sure their sacrifice wasn't in vain." Sean turned to face the forward view screen. _And find out what happened._

_1 Day 14 Hours Prior_

"We're dropping out of warp." Erica announced, just as the subtle lurch passed through the ship.

Sean finally allowed himself to relax. "Good, set a course for…"

Nathan interrupted him. "The USS Yellowstone is moving to intercept us." He shook his head as he looked at the sensor readings. "They've got their shields up and their weapons powered!" His voice trailed off.

Sean blinked twice, trying to understand what was going on. He knew that an Ambassador class vessel greatly outclassed his ship. "Shields up. Hail them."

"Channel open." Kate replied.

The image on the screen was replaced with a view of the Yellowstone's Bridge, specifically on Captain Nellis. "This is Captain Arim Nellis of the USS Yellowstone. Captain Cunningham, you are ordered to lower your shields and surrender, or we will be forced to fire on you." Captain Nellis' said each word deliberately, carefully.

"Captain Nellis, we were attacked by an unknown Defiant class vessel in system 2105 while investigating a..." The ship shuddered as a torpedo impacted the shields. "Cease your attack at once; we've got sensor data..." There was another impact.

"Captain Cunningham, I am under direct orders to either arrest you, or destroy your ship for the destruction of the USS Pandora. Now surrender now and we'll take this before the Federation Judicial committee; I am not a man to be trifled with nor am I a judge. If you do not surrender immediately I will be forced to destroy you."

"Alright, alright!" Sean replied quickly, swearing under his breath. "We surrender. Stand down to condition green."

"Good. I'm sending over security teams, if they encounter any resistance, they are ordered to shoot on sight. Phasers are set to kill."

"Understood."

"Yellowstone, out." The image vanished from the view screen.

Sean slammed his fists against his armrests. "Put me on ship-wide audio." He forced himself to relax and stop gritting his teeth. "This is the Captain; we are about to be boarded by Starfleet security teams. Whatever happens, don't resist. You have my word I'll find out the meaning of this."

The first of the Starfleet security officers beamed in on either side of the bridge, their weapons already aiming at everyone. Sean swore again. _What had they done to deserve such treatment?_

"EVERYONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM! MOVE IT!" One of the officer's shouted, motioning for Erica to move. They crossed the room; one of the officers roughly shoved Erica towards the center of the room as she stood up.

They did exactly as they were told. Seconds later Sean felt his wrists be roughly bound by a pair of cuffs. The rest of his bridge crew followed. No one bothered to read them their rights.

_Present Day_

It hadn't been a trial, Sean recalled. It had been an inquisition. He'd been the only officer of the Guenidier present; the rest of his senior staff remained locked in the brig at Starfleet Command. He hadn't had a representative, or even a chance to speak. They'd laid out the evidence and sent the jury in for a debate.

Less than a minute later, the jury had returned and pronounced him guilty in the light of overwhelming evidence. More like false evidence. Included in the evidence was the ship's video log. It showed the Guenidier firing on the Pandora. Records on the ship showed that they had fired five torpedoes; he knew they'd only fired three.

And above all, he'd been working with Captain Barnum for almost a month now. Why would he have chosen to attack and kill her and her entire crew like that? The jury seemed oblivious to the obvious question, so Sean stopped trying to ask it. All he knew was that someone was manipulating everyone.

He reached the brig just ahead of his escort. His senior staff remained locked in the main cell. The guards deactivated the cell forcefield, and then shoved him inside. The field was reactivated only a second later.

"That couldn't have been a good trial." Mark said. Former Lieutenant Commander Mark Turner, and the Guenidier's Chief Engineer, Mark was Sean's most trusted friend. They'd been in the same class at the academy and had spent plenty of time working together, even before being stationed on the Guenidier. Mark was only slightly shorter than Sean, with longer hair and brown instead of green eyes.

"It wasn't a trial." Sean replied, sitting down on the bench in the back of the cell. "They basically told me what our punishment is for our supposed actions. I didn't even have anyone to represent me, or a chance to speak."

"And what, will be our sentence?" Klena asked, from her meditative position in the corner of the cell. She emphasized the word sentence. Sean met her eyes for a moment, and could tell she was feeling betrayed.

"We're sentenced to life imprisonment in the Federation Penal Colony on Bellaria."

"As in all of us?" Kate asked slowly.

"The crewmen will be held in detention until Starfleet decides what to do with them, but the senior staff will be moved to Bellaria. That's us." Sean tried to hide the defeat in his voice.

"Then it is a fate we must accept, at least for now." Klena stated, coming to her feet. "However, our fate is not entirely sealed yet." Sean could see a glimmer of hope hidden just beyond Klena's calm exterior. He wished he shared it.

"She's right." Nathan said. "I'm not about ready to just lie down and die."

"Are we agreed?" Sean said quietly. He knew they were being listened to.

Mark nodded slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kate fidgeted for a bit, and then nodded. Erica smiled and nodded. Nathan nodded taking a deep breath as he did. Sean could tell Klena agreed simply by the way she raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, options people." Sean said, making sure everyone kept there voice down. The humming of the power conduits all around them would mask quiet voices.

"We should make our move once they move us to a starship for transport." Nathan said quickly.

"Agreed." Sean replied. "If and when we do get an opportunity to escape, we'll have to rush the guards. Nathan, Klena, Mark, and I will go after the guards. Kate, Erica, make sure you get their phasers as quickly as possible."

"From there, we should head for the shuttle bays, possibly the armory as we go." Nathan added.

Sean nodded. "If it's on the way, definitely. We can't take a whole starship, not one with a crew anyway. But we can get a ship that's without crew." Sean thought for a minute. "I think I know of a ship we could get, but it would mean going all the way back to Starfleet Command."

Sean looked down at the floor. "Look, I can't ask you to do this."

"We're doing it anyway." Erica said with a shrug.

"Everyone against the rear wall with your hands on the wall and visible." A gruff voice commanded from behind. Sean heard the forcefield deactivate, then felt the transporter beam them up. The next thing he knew, they were in another brig. He heard the forcefield behind them activate.

"Alright, you can turn around now." He heard another voice say, this one sounded familiar.

Sean turned around and shook his head as he instantly recognized the lone security officer at the control console. "Jason?" Sean asked, remembering Jason Striker as a 2nd year cadet in a class Sean had been teaching while waiting for an assignment at Starfleet Academy. Jason was tall, blond, and imposing unless you knew him. Sean knew him.

"Do I know you?" The crewman asked.

"Do you remember a Lieutenant Commander Sean Cunningham?"

"My small group tactics teacher, why..." Jason's voice trailed off. "Sir, what are you doing being transported to a Penal Colony?"

"Somebody accused us of the destruction of the USS Pandora, even though it was destroyed by another starship, a Defiant class. We barely escaped alive." Sean paused. "Then when we got back to Starfleet Command, they'd already set out to arrest us. They gave us a summary trial and a quick verdict by the jury. We got life in prison."

"Why would Starfleet do that?" Jason walked around the console and up to the forcefield. "It's not ethical." He shook his head. "It's not democratic!"

"Believe me; the same thing is going through my mind right now. But we don't have the time to debate it, we need to escape." He lowered his voice. "Are you going to help us?"

Jason looked away. "Do you know what you're asking me to do?"

"I do Jason." Sean met his gaze, green eyes to blue. "I'm asking you to stand up for what's right. If we're to have any chance; we're going to need all the help we can get."

Jason smiled. "And I'm going to trust my small group tactics teacher for lessons on how to do the right thing... alright, I'm in." He walked back to the console, deactivating the forcefield. "We're never going to succeed if we try to take the ship."

"How far to the shuttle bays and do we come across an armory on the way?" Nathan asked, coming straight to the point.

"There's an armory on the way, I have access to it. Let's take jefferies tube..."

The ship shook violently, nearly knocking everyone to the floor. Sean grabbed onto the console in front of him. "What's going on?"

"We are the Borg." The ominous voice of the Borg collective echoed in the brig through the ship's comm system. "You will be assimilated. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile."

"There's your answer." Jason replied. "I feel bad abandoning my post, but I doubt we're gonna need a brig supervisor in the immediate future."

"Can you get us to the armory still?"

Jason glanced at the console, calling up the data on the armory status. "It looks like security has taken some of the weapons, but for now there's still plenty in there. This attack will most likely help us, as nobody will be paying attention to us running down the halls."

The ship shook again. "Let's go." Sean said. "I have no desire to be assimilated."

Jason led the way, ducking out in the corridors as power conduits blew out around them. "The armory is two decks down, the shuttle bay three." He used a hatch to get into the jefferies tube system. From there he crawled through the tube to a junction and climbed down two decks.

The armory was just outside in the corridor. Jason entered his access code into the armory door's control panel. It slid aside to reveal a small room lined with phaser rifles. Jason handed them out, then passed out hand phasers.

"Set for stun." He said. "I don't want to kill anyone unless I have to."

Sean nodded, setting his phaser rifle to stun. "Any quicker way to the Shuttle bays?"

Another console exploded, causing the corridor to explode in fire, but it also opened a hole in the floor. The ship's fire suppression system immediately stopped the fire. Jason pointed to the hole and shouted. "The Borg just made one." He jumped down, and then led them to the end of the hall.

"The shuttle bay is just beyond this door, but it's jammed." Jason said. "I'll try to manually open it."

"Jason don't!" Sean yelled, grabbing Jason's arm. "The door is steaming, my guess is your fire suppression system is down in there and this whole ship is coming apart." He released Jason. "Is there another way in?"

"Yeah. This way." Jason led them down a side passage and into the shuttle bay control room. "This should let us open the doors from here anyway." Jason accessed the shuttle bay door controls and began slowly opened the massive doors.

"Good work Jason." Sean said as the doors opened, revealing a vast expanse of space. "Let's go before Nellis decides to put his rear shields towards the Sphere."

Jason pointed to the two shuttles. "There's enough room for four of us in each, but I'm no pilot."

"I am." Erica said. "I've got one."

"I'll take the other." Sean stated. "Klena, Nathan, go with Erica, everyone else with me. Stick together and let's just get out of this alive."

Sean climbed into the shuttle. It was a standard Type 9 shuttlecraft, sleek sloped back cockpit view port and swept back warp nacelles. It was a performance shuttle. "Strap in." He said, climbing into the pilot's seat and initializing the shuttle's computer core and warp engines.

Jason sat down next to Sean. "Shuttle 1 to Shuttle 2, are you ready?"

"Just give me a moment to get the engines online." Erica replied, pausing briefly. "Okay, we're good. Where to once we're clear?"

"Set course for the outermost edge of the Sol system, near the dark side of Pluto, we'll reunite there and figure out what to do." Sean transferred power to the shields from the weapons. He didn't plan on firing a shot.

"You strapped in back there?" Sean asked, glancing back at Mark and Kate.

"Ready as we're going to be." Kate replied, her knuckles white with her grip on the support bar.

Sean looked at Jason. "Are the shields still up?"

"Yeah." Jason replied. "We're not going to be able to get through."

Mark climbed forward, leaning on the back of Jason's chair. "There's an area of the shields right between the two warp nacelles." He accessed a top down view of the Yellowstone from the shuttles sensors. "The weak point is right there. It's been used by the Maquis a couple of times."

"Why is that a weak point?" Jason asked, looking at Mark with confusion.

"The warp field destabilizes the shields ever so slightly right there. It's a small spot most ships can't hit it with weapons fire, but a small shuttle can slide right through and get in and out of the shields of a starship."

"You sure about this?" Sean asked.

"It's either that or wait till the Borg start beaming in." Mark shrugged and walked back to the bench in the back of the shuttle.

"Good point."Sean powered up the engines and launched into space. Immediately the shuttles sensors came alive with reports of the battle. The Yellowstone was winning but barely, having sustained major damage to most of its critical components. "Erica, follow my course exactly."

Sean carefully maneuvered the shuttle so that it pushed through the point in the shields. There was a slight tremor from the shuttles mass physically displacing the energy of the shield. In less than a second it passed.

He set the course for Pluto's dark side and engaged the wrap drive. The shuttle's maximum warp gave it thirty minutes back to the Sol system. Sean could wait that long.

He glanced back behind him; Mark had leaned back and closed his eyes. Kate looked apprehensive, he couldn't blame her. They'd just left a Federation ship alone to face a Borg Sphere. They'd broken a lot of rules they'd sworn to uphold. He knew they didn't have regrets, but getting used to a new set of rules was difficult on anybody.

He thought back to the battle where the Pandora had been destroyed, was there anything he could've done differently. He could've fired on the unknown Defiant sooner, but Starfleet protocols were clear on that. One did not fire unless circumstances warranted it.

The lack of response to his hails didn't count as provocation enough to warrant shooting. The Defiant firing on the Pandora did. So he'd opened fire, even though he'd known that the firepower of a Sabre class vessel was nowhere near the firepower on a Defiant.

The Sabre was a light warship, enough to stop the occasional pirate, but it was not meant to fight alone. It was meant to fight in fleets, hence why they had been paired with the Pandora. Not that it mattered anymore; he didn't have the Guenidier, and even if they did steal something; he wanted something capable of holding its own.

He had not told his crew about the ship he planned on liberating from Starfleet Command. The USS Foxhound NCC-89045 was an Intrepid class vessel, recently constructed and state of the art, even for its design. A crew had not been assigned to it yet; they wouldn't have to worry about taking control of the ship. That was a fight he knew they wouldn't win, not even with the Guenidier's crew on hand.

The console beeped in front of him and ship dropped out of warp. He smiled; time seemed to fly when you had something to think about. He looked down at the sensor readings and spotted the second shuttle, right behind them.

"Okay, we're here at Pluto. Where to from here?" Erica asked over the comm line.

Sean scanned close to Earth for signs of what they could use to get to Starfleet Command. "Looks like the Enterprise just came out of warp and they're headed for Starfleet Command. It's possible we could sneak in by staying close to its warp nacelles. The residual warp trail would cover our approach."

"If we disable all non-essential systems it is doubtful that the Enterprise will be able to detect us." Klena added.

"She's right." Mark said, standing up and leaning on the back of Sean's chair. "Most Starfleet vessels start powering down as they approach Starfleet Command, their sensors will not be actively scanning. That and the warp trail will keep us perfectly camouflaged."

"Did you get that?" Sean asked Erica, looking over at their shuttle by habit.

"Yeah, we got it. Klena's powering down the non-essentials now." Erica replied, "We'll follow right behind you once you're ready."

"Alright Mark... course suggestions?" He glanced back at the engineer.

Mark reached over and brought up the sensor display. "Perform an in-system warp to Mars and use its gravity to sling shot you towards the Enterprise." Mark entered a series of commands, drawing a line on the display for them to follow. "Shut down the warp engines when we get here." He pointed to just before they reached Mars. "From there, follow in the ship's wake until we're inside Starfleet Command."

Sean looked over at Jason. "Let Mark sit there."

Jason nodded and yielded the seat to Mark. "I'm sending the flight plans to Erica." Mark said.

"Good, tell me when you're ready." Sean entered the course plans into the computer. A simulation confirmed the flight plan.

Mark looked out the forward view port as the lights in the cockpit dimmed. "I've powered down everything we don't need. Go."

"Erica, link your navigation system with ours." Sean said reaching up to activate the warp engines with the controls above him.

"You're in control Captain." Erica replied.

"Here we go." Sean mumbled, activating the computer control guidance.

There was a brief lurch as the ship accelerated to warp one. Sean watched the distance to Mars shrink rapidly. He took a deep breath, and looked to Mark. Mark deactivated the warp engines as they approached Mars. At the last minute, Sean activated the impulse engines and swung around Mars at high speed.

He focused the passive scanners towards the Enterprise. It was rapidly growing in the forward view port. The shuttle slowed as it approached the Enterprise, losing some of its momentum to the gravitational pull of Mars. The rest was being taken away by the impulse engines.

Sean finally arrested all of the forward momentum as the Enterprise dwarfed the shuttles. He quickly corrected their course and came up behind the Enterprise's right warp nacelle. He glanced at the sensor readings, half expecting the Enterprise to raise shields and fire. There was no chance of surviving that.

"Waiting is the hardest part." He said quietly.

"You're telling me." Kate replied from the back. "At least you've got the controls."

Sean smiled. "Just hang on, we're almost there."

"Into the belly of the beast." Mark shrugged. "But they don't expect us in their belly."

"Any signs of detection Mark?" Sean carefully adjusted their course as the Enterprise lined up with the docking bay.

"None so far. The Enterprise's warp trail is keeping us hidden. It should stay present long enough for us to get under the sensors of Starfleet Command."

Sean watched as the docking bay doors opened wide, making room for the massive Sovereign class warship. The Enterprise flew right through them, with the two shuttles passing unnoticed amidst the huge ship.

Sean forced himself to breath as the Enterprise finally docked. He also spotted the Foxhound in the bay, several starships down. He pointed to it. "That's the ship I'm after, it supposedly doesn't have a crew assigned to it, and they just finished work on it, making it an ideal ship for our purposes. At least that's what it was a week ago; I need to update that information."

"We can't move here in spacedock." Mark said. "But we should be able to beam over to the Enterprise." He glanced down at the console. "Give me a second to access their cargo transporters; we can beam in there without being detected."

"What about the shuttles?" Jason asked, coming to his feet.

"We leave them here." Mark replied. "They'll stay undetected until someone physically bumps into them. Hopefully long enough for us to escape." He grinned. "Okay, I'm into their systems. I've got a lock on all of us, including everyone in Erica's shuttle."

Sean activated the comm unit. "Erica, stand by for transport, grab anything you don't want to leave behind."

"Just give us a second." She replied. There was a brief pause. "Okay, we're ready."

Sean grabbed his phaser rifle from the floor. "Do it." He said with a nod to Mark.

Mark hit a sequence of buttons, then grabbed his rifle. A second later the transporter enveloped them.

Sean's next thought came as they entered the Enterprise's cargo bay. The crates were orderly stacked as one would expect on a Federation starship, but the size of the bay drew a smile on his face. The cargo bay on the Guenidier had been affectionately known as a hold, because the ceiling height was barely enough for someone to kneel in.

"Can you get access to Starfleet Command's computers from here?" Sean asked, looking to Mark.

"Some of them." Mark accessed the console in front of the transporter. After a brief pause he looked up. "The Foxhound is still unmanned. Construction crews have finished all their work on it though."

"The Foxhound?" Nathan asked.

"The ship we're stealing." Kate replied with a smirk. "I've always wanted to say that."

"Should we not rescue the crew of our ship here in detention?" Klena said a note of caution in her voice.

Sean suddenly realized he hadn't thought of his crew. The people who he'd commanded. "Mark, where's the detention block where they're being held."

Mark worked for a second at the console. "You're going to love this." He looked up and smiled. "The detention block is right next to the Foxhound's main docking hatch. We should be able to break them out and get them all aboard before Starfleet has a chance to respond."

"Any information on the guards?"

"Not from here."

Sean glanced around the bay. "We're gonna need the main transporters of this ship to beam over to the Foxhound. Which deck are they on?"

"Just two above where we are now." Mark said. "But there's a jefferies tube over..." Mark looked up and point to the corner of the cargo bay, "...there. It'll bring us out right beside the transporter room."

"Lead the way." Sean said.

Mark took point, opening the access hatch and climbing skillfully into the tube, years of engineering experience helping. The jefferies tubes on the Enterprise were only slightly larger than the ones on the Yellowstone. He crawled along the tube until they reached the ladder and took it up two decks.

There was a door leading to the corridor. Mark tried to access the door control. "No luck." He said. "Give me a second to switch it over to manual."

"Nathan, give me a hand." Sean said as the door opened slightly.

Sean and Nathan each pulled on a side of the door, slowly pulling the door open to reveal the empty corridors of the Enterprise. Once a starship entered Spacedock its crew generally left ship fairly quickly. Only a handful on engineers would still be on the ship.

Klena stepped through the door first, holding her phaser rifle at a ready position. "It's clear." She said, after looking both ways.

Mark led them down the hall to the transporter room at a jog. The door opened automatically as they neared it. No one was inside.

Sean motioned for everyone to get on the transporter pads. "Mark, can you get the transporter working?"

Mark held up a hand, already at the controls. "Just a second."

Sean waited, feeling the seconds pass by at a snail's pace while waiting for Mark to activate the transporter. Every minute they spent on the Enterprise increased their chances of being detected, especially when the ship was supposed to be deserted.

Mark smiled. "Got it!" He ran to the transporter pad, standing next to Sean. "I also set it to erase the transporter logs as soon as it's completed."

Sean turned to watch in horror as the doors opened. A single crewman walked in. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Just leaving crewman." Sean said as calmly as he could, hoping the crewman wouldn't look too closely at their weapons.

"Intruder alert!" The crewman yelled, just as the transporter activated and they disappeared.

XXX

The Foxhound was powered down, that much was evident as soon as they beamed in. Sean knew they were on a time table now. The crewman on the Enterprise had surely alerted all of Starfleet Command. "Mark, Jason, go to Engineering and get the power online. Klena, Erica, Kate, get to the Bridge and get us ready for launch, see if you can get those space doors open. Nathan, you and I have to free the crew. Got it? Alright, move."

Sean didn't waste time, he ran down the corridor, stopping only briefly to check their position and where they needed to go to get to the docking arm. He triple checked his phaser rifle's stun setting before opening the docking hatch.

The docking arm was empty, but the inner bulkhead was sealed. "Nate, get the door."

Nathan activated the door mechanism with a touch to the door controls. It opened to reveal an open corridor, and the door to the detention area.

Sean had to smile again. "Mark wasn't kidding." The detention area literally was directly across from the docking hatch.

The detention area opened automatically. There were five security guards in the lobby area. Sean didn't even wait for them to say something. He opened fire, Nathan followed his lead. In seconds all the guards were unconscious.

He accessed the computer system listing the detainees. The only ones here were his crew. With the alarms already going off and Starfleet security on their way, he toggled the biological hazard alarm. This automatically released the cell locks and gave them access to the cell blocks, in addition to setting off every alarm in Starfleet Command.

"Nathan, get everyone on the east one. I've got the west wing." Sean stepped into the west detention block. "Crew, this is your Captain. We need to get out of here now. I've got a starship waiting. Somebody framed us, but we're not going to spend the rest of our lives in a Penal Colony, let's go!"

His crew had learned to trust him; he hoped that trust was not misplaced. They all filed out of the cells and came running to the airlock to the Foxhound. Sean stepped into the hall and took up a cover position against the Foxhound's airlock. Starfleet security would be coming. "Everyone on board!" He yelled, just as the first Starfleet security personnel arrived.

He opened fire, laying down a wall of suppressive fire that kept the security officers from getting around the corner. Nathan was covering the other entrance. The crew was thankfully running through as quickly as possible. Since there were only forty of them, it wouldn't take long.

Sean turned his attention back to Nathan as the last crewman passed through. "Nate, fall back!"

Nathan dropped back, firing as he did to keep the security officers off him. Sean was last. Just before he got through the docking bay door a large volley of phaser fire nearly took his head off. He fell backwards. Nate pulled him into the ship. The door closed and locked behind them.

Nathan accessed the wall mounted comm panel. "Klena, get us out of here."

Sean heard the docking ring break free, and then he felt the ship started moving. "Come on!" He called to Nate as he headed for the turbolift.

He exited the turbolift on the Bridge. "What's the status on the doors?" He asked.

"Still closed sir." Kate replied. "I'm trying, but Starfleet Command is at red alert status. The doors are locked down."

Sean took his seat. "Nathan, torpedoes?"

"Not ready yet, but the shields are up."

"Options people?"

"I need time!" Kate said, frantically working at her station.

"Starfleet is hailing us." Klena said.

"This could work to our advantage." Sean said. "Open a channel."

He stood up just as the image on the view screen changed to a view of Admiral Kelsey Brandon's head. She was the commander of Starfleet Command Spacedock. "I'd recommend that you power down immediately. You're committing a capitol offense by stealing that starship Mr. Cunningham."

"I'm doing what's necessary Admiral." Sean replied.

"You were found guilty in a court of Federation law, you were tried by a jury of your peers, and your fate has been decided."

"I won't accept the verdict from a mock trial Admiral. Reexamine who you work for, then we'll talk again." He glanced back at Kate, who shook her head frantically. She still needed time.

"Destroying a Federation starship and killing its entire crew is hardly necessary Mr. Cunningham. Now, power down your ship and you will not be harmed."

Sean looked back again at Kate, who promptly cut the transmission with Starfleet Command. "The doors are opening!"

"Great work Kate!" Sean sat back in his seat.

"I didn't do it." Kate replied.

Sean glanced back at her. It wasn't worth looking into right now, and then turned to Erica. "Get us out of here, full impulse."

"Yes sir." The Foxhound accelerated into space.

Sean activated the comm unit on his console. "Mark, tell me we've got warp drive?"

"We've got it; the whole engineering team is down here with me. We can only give you warp seven though."

"It's enough. Erica, set a course out of Federation space, warp 7!"

Erica toggled the warp drive, and the Foxhound launched into warp.

"Anyone following us?" Sean asked, looking back at Kate.

"We've got the USS Darwin, Norway class right behind us. They are three hundred thousand kilometers behind us and closing!"

"Erica, drop us out of warp near the asteroid belt. Nathan, please tell me you've got torpedoes now."

"I have them." Nathan replied. "Torpedo teams have loaded the forward torpedo launchers with standard photon torpedoes."

"Here's what's going to happen: Erica, as soon as we drop out of warp you bring us into the asteroid field, Nathan, you will fire two torpedoes into medium sized asteroids, creating a blinding cover of shrapnel. At the same time, our phasers will incinerate another couple of asteroids. When the asteroid dust is between us and the Darwin, we'll enter warp. Is everyone clear?"

Sean saw nothing but nods. His crew knew what to do. "Let's do it."

The Foxhound dropped out of warp on the edge of the asteroid field. Immediately, two torpedoes shot from its forwards launchers, turning two large asteroids instantly into asteroid dust. Phaser shots broke smaller asteroids into dust. The shields rapidly became opaque with asteroid impacts, but within seconds the blinding cover of shrapnel was between the Foxhound and the Darwin.

"Go to warp, now!" Sean ordered.

"Warp speed." Erica announced, as the ship lurched from the sudden acceleration.

"Any sign they followed us out of that mess?" Sean asked, standing back up.

"None." Nathan replied. "We're clear."

"We made it!" Erica shouted from the helm.

_For now._ Sean thought to himself. _For now._

XXX

Sean looked out the windows in the Mess Hall. The sun rose lazily above the horizon before them. They were on a planet 30 light years from the nearest Starbase. The planet had a naturally ionic atmosphere. Even though it was an M class planet its atmosphere provided a near perfect shielding from electronic scanners commonly used on starships. A thick foliage canopy also kept the ship covered.

He had a moral booster to accomplish before he could ask the crew to go further. He turned to face his crew standing the mess hall. They hadn't all been in the same room since the launch of the Guenidier almost two months ago. It felt like ages.

"I know a lot of you have left behind everything you knew when you came with me." He smiled. "But we've also come together as a family. We don't have half of the crew necessary to man this ship, but we'll make do. We always have."

He paused, stepping closer to Kate. She sat in a chair near one of the tables. "To commemorate the fact that this ship is our home, I'd like to present a new name plate for the Bridge." Kate handed the plate to him with a smile. "Every one of our names is on this plaque. We're the crew of the Guenidier."

He motioned to the outside of the ship. "It may say Foxhound out there, a situation I wish to rectify shortly, but it's the Guenidier in here." He looked at each and every face in the room. "Our goal in this is to find out who destroyed the Pandora. We know it wasn't us, but Starfleet believes it is. We're going to have to fight them. We're also going to have to find out who's behind this."

He paused again. "We'll need allies, friends, and above all a place to call home. I'm sure we can find it, together." He placed a hand out. "We'll see the dawn yet. Now let's inscribe our name onto this ship."

XXX

Sean looked at the newly inscribed name plate on the Guenidier's hull. A warm breeze lazily drifted by. He glanced back at the rising sun in the distance. The blue light highlighted the gray hull plating on the Guenidier.

"Captain, if I may?" Klena asked, moving to stand next to him.

"Sure Klena, what's on your mind?" He replied, facing her.

She turned to look at the sun. "We are not a Starfleet vessel."

Sean noticed that for once her hair was not tied back in a compact bun. He shook it off, trying to ignore it. "Not anymore."

"We cannot pretend to be who we are not." She said slowly.

"What do you mean?" He asked, smiling at how she was avoiding talking about what was on her mind; it was not something Klena did very often. He could easily attribute it to her very young age by Vulcan standards.

"We continue to wear Starfleet uniforms; we continue to uphold traditional Starfleet regulations. We need to distance ourselves from them."

"You are suggesting a uniform change?"

"It is a start."

"And you want to wear your hair down?"

Klena raised an eyebrow. "It is far more comfortable this way."

"Okay." Sean shrugged. "I'd prefer to not distance ourselves too much from Starfleet, but enough."

"The crew should be involved."

"Agreed. I could make it a design challenge. I know there are several very artistic crewmen who could make new uniforms."

"And we have a replicator capable of producing them."

"Yep. How do you feel about what I said at the ceremony?" Sean sat down on the hull.

"The crew needs a goal." Klena sat down next to him.

"Not what I asked."

"A Vulcan works best when given a direction." She said, she looked down at the hull. "Do you truly think it is possible to find out who destroyed the Pandora?"

"Anything is possible Klena." Sean said, looking out to the sun. "Anything is possible."


	2. Mx02 Prisoners

"We should change our ship designation." Mark said, sitting on the couch in Sean's quarters, the stars flying pass the window behind him. "Right now we're too Starfleet."

"What do you have in mind Mark?" Sean entered a few notes in his pad.

"Well, I did some research." He pulled out a pad from his pocket. "USS stood for United States Ship in 20th century Earth culture. There were other navies though."

"Which one are we talking about? Remember how many countries we had to learn about in pre-warp Earth history?" Sean sat down at his desk across the room.

"The 2nd strongest navy in the world in the late 20th century was the British, second only to the United States. They'd been the strongest since the 16th century. Remember any of it?" Mark leaned forward a bit.

"Bits and pieces, not a lot though."

"In the 16th century, the British were attacked by the major sea power of the time, the Spanish."

"Spanish armada, right?

"Yeah. The British completely devastated the Spanish fleet, even though they were outnumbered and outgunned. Granted the weather was on their side, but they chose their battles, kinda like what we're doing."

"And what we're going to be doing eventually."

"Yeah, they used the designation, HMS: Her Majesty's Ship."

"I don't like being attached to the Royal British Monarchy. No matter how old."

"Well, is Starfleet attached to the former United States?"

"No." Sean agreed reluctantly.

"Consider it something to think about. Obviously we're not going to change the name plates for a bit." Mark laughed, leaning back.

"No, we can really worry about it when we set down on a planet again." Sean stood up and walked to the replicator. "Water, cold."

The replicator beeped at him. "Unable to comply."

"Computer, water." Sean said again, this time a bit louder.

The water and cup formed. "This replicator has been acting up all morning." He said as he turned back to his desk.

Mark thought for a moment. "You know, I've been having problems with my replicator too. I'm going to go down to Engineering, finish working on those command protocols. Then I'll look at the replicators."

"Alright, go. I'll head up to the Bridge, do a log entry."

Mark headed to the right as he left Sean's quarters, Sean turned to the left. He stepped into the turbolift. "Bridge."

The turbolift only took a second to reach the bridge. He stepped out and onto the Bridge. "As you were commander." Sean said to Klena as she stood up to call the room to attention. "Just going to my ready room."

He stepped inside the door. He hadn't spent much time in here since they'd gotten the ship. It felt like an isolated island. The desk felt like a barrier between him and the bridge.

There was a loud screech as Sean moved the desk. He shook his head, deciding the desk was better where it had been. Another loud screech followed. He grimaced. While the desk was better there he still didn't want to do all his business from behind it.

He glanced out at the passing stars out the window. The ship was on its way to the location of the Pandora's destruction. At the very least he wanted to check for escape pods. He sat down in the chair in front of his desk, spinning the computer around so he could work on it.

He activated the recording feature to record a personal log. The stardate automatically displayed. He smiled; he wasn't good at remembering that. "We're en route to the location where the Pandora was destroyed, in an attempt to find something in the remains that will hopefully lead us to whoever actually destroyed it."

"After discussing it with Klena, I've decided that we should try to distance ourselves to a certain extent from Starfleet. The first order of business is getting new uniforms. I've decided to make it a design contest, that way the crew can decide for themselves. Hopefully it will also serve as a unique form of competition."

He stopped the recording and stood back up. The walls of his ready room were unadorned. "I've gotta decorate." Sean shrugged and walked back out to the Bridge.

"How long till we reach our destination?" He asked, looking to Erica at the helm.

"Another six hours." She replied. "If we could go beyond warp seven I could make this trip quicker." Sean could hear a note of frustration at the end of her sentence.

"They're working on it." Sean replied, walking around the back of the Bridge. "Kate, could you put me on ship-wide audio?"

Kate nodded, looked down for a second as she activated the comm system. "You're on Captain."

Sean leaned on the railing right behind his seat. "This is the Captain. After some discussion with Klena I've decided that we should develop new uniforms." He smiled, it sounded vain. "Since I'm not the least bit artistic, I've decided to put it out to the crew. Consider it a contest. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. That's all." He motioned for Kate to cut the ship-wide audio.

"You're not artistic Captain?" Kate said a small smile evident on her face.

"Ensign, mind your manners." Sean briefly laughed. "No, I'm not. Besides, it'll be interesting to see how it turns out."

"Captain, my phaser controls just went offline again." Nathan said, squinting at the controls.

"It's happened before?" Sean asked.

"Briefly. It flickered once or twice a minute ago." He looked up. "But this time it's staying offline."

"Okay, I'll go check with Mark down in Engineering." Sean pushed off the railing and turned for the turbolift. "Klena, the Bridge is yours."

It was no secret that the ship was still having problems. However, they had only been in control of the ship for a few days. He had to give the Engineering teams credit for getting the ship flying and fighting that quickly.

"Deck 11, Engineering." Sean said as the turbolift doors closed. It took some getting used to, working with turbolifts again. The old Guenidier had not used them. They took up too much space on a ship that only had a handful of decks already.

The doors opened silently and Sean stepped out of the turbolift and walked down the hall. A pair of large doors marked the entrance to engineering. He looked around, expecting Mark to be working under one of the consoles.

He found Mark, or rather Mark's feet sticking out from under the console on the right alcove next to the warp core. "Mark, Nathan wanted me to see if you knew anything about the phaser control malfunctioning." Sean said, looking down at the hatch Mark was half buried in.

"Just a second." Sparks flew from the hatch. Mark yelped in pain. He quickly got out from under it. His yellow uniform looked brown from the dirt and grime. "I think I actually got it."

"What were you working on?"

"The computers." Mark said, looking down at one of the panels above the hatch he'd been working in. "Or not." He mumbled to himself.

"What's wrong with the computers?"

"I've been trying to update the primary computer core's command codes." He turned around to use the console behind him. "But the computer has been fighting me every step of the way. I did get our codes into the auxiliary computer core though."

"Do you think it's related to the problems Nathan's been having with phaser control and our replicators?"

Mark leaned against the wall for a second. "Possibly" He turned back to the console, bringing up a diagram of the computer pathways. "I keep running into blocks right here at the computer core. No matter how I access it, I run into the same block. It's almost like there's some sort of failsafe measure to prevent someone from tampering with the core."

Sean leaned on the console next to him. "Why would it surface now?"

"I wonder if it has something to do with how we're trying to change the command codes." Mark narrowed his eyes for a second. "Wait a second..." Mark pushed off the console and walked back out into the main engineering.

He looked up to the second floor of Engineering. "William, are you seeing any system malfunctions up there?"

"Little ones. They go offline for a second and then come back." William replied, coming to look over the railing. "It's like the ship has a virus, but it hasn't taken full control yet."

"Try rerouting all the computer functions through the auxiliary computer core."

William disappeared for a second. "No good sir!" He yelled back. "The primary core won't relinquish the system control. It keeps denying me access."

"Keep an eye on that; tell me if we lose anything critical." Mark yelled up at William. He walked back over to Sean.

"It's a computer right?" Sean asked. "Why not just reboot it?"

Mark thought for a moment. "It could work. However, the only place to do that is the computer core itself. It has to be initiated there. And there's no guarantee it would work."

"Captain." Klena's voice emanated from Sean's commbadge. "Ensign Filander reports that she just lost main sensors."

Sean tapped his commbadge. "Thanks Klena. We've got a possible solution."

"Do you wish for us to go to impulse?"

Sean looked at Mark. "Can we reboot the core without dropping from warp?"

Mark nodded. "That's what the auxiliary core is for."

"Not yet Klena. I'll be back on the Bridge shortly."

"Affirmative Captain."

"Mark..." Sean didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. There was a shout from the second floor of Engineering, followed by William crashing to the floor. Sean immediately came to his side. There were massive electrical burns on his forearm and upper chest. "Bridge, Crewman Scott has been injured. Beam myself and crewman Scott to sickbay."

Sean felt the transporter beam pass over him and the next thing he knew he was in sickbay. He glanced around, looking for the EMH. The Guenidier had never been assigned a doctor; they had relied exclusively on their EMH due to the small crew compliment. "Computer, activate the EMH."

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency." The EMH said as it fizzled to life. The EMH of the Intrepid class vessels was all the same. A standard EMH Mk. I. There were few advanced features for his model of EMH.

"Doctor, crewman Scott was injured in engineering. Possible broken bones and electrical burns."

The Doctor nodded, coming to William's side. "Help me get him to the surgical unit."

Sean nodded, helping the Doctor carefully place William on the table.

The doctor used a tricorder to briefly scan him. "Third degree electrical burns, a few broken bones. Get me the dermal regenerator!"

Sean looked around until he found the tray containing the dermal regenerators. It was stored away in the corner. He wheeled the tray over to the holographic doctor. Without a word the doctor picked it up and began working.

Mark entered sickbay running. "How's William?"

"The Doc's working." Sean turn to look at Mark. "Any progress?"  
"None, the system failures are getting more widespread." Mark glanced at William on the surgical table. "We just lost life support on Deck 15. We don't have a choice anymore."

"Agreed, I'm going back to the Bridge. I'll send Kate down to give you a hand."

"Tell her to meet me at the Deck 12 access point."

Sean nodded and turned back to the Doctor. "Keep me informed Doc."

The Doctor didn't respond, but it didn't surprise Sean. The EMH Mk I was not a good conversationalist most of the time. Some holographic scientists had theorized that it was because it spent all of its time deactivated.

Sean walked out of Sickbay and down the hall to the turbolift. As he neared it he activated his commbadge. "I need a crewman with medical experience to assist the EMH in sickbay."

As he stepped into the turbolift he got a reply. "This is crewman Lshan, I will assist the EMH."

"Thank you crewman." He used the panel to activate the turbolift and take him to the Bridge. "From now on Sickbay is your responsibility."

The turbolift door opened and Sean stepped onto the Bridge. He immediately looked at Kate. "Head for the Deck 12 access to the computer core. Mark needs your help."

Kate nodded, taking the turbolift next to her station.

He sat down in his chair, looking over at Klena. "What is our estimated position?"

"Our course was intended to take us near a Federation starbase while at warp." Klena said slowly, her eyes narrowed. "I believe we are nearing that part of our journey."

"Wonderful time to start having computer problems."

"Indeed."

Sean glanced over at Klena, sure she was mocking him. Her expression showed no hint of emotion. He just hoped Mark could get the core under control.

XXX

Mark quickly entered the command sequence, opening the jefferies tube access to the computer core. He looked down at the datapad in his hands, double checking his notes on how to manually reboot the computer core. The procedure he'd downloaded from the computer listed each of the steps required to shut it down.

"Commander." Kate said, coming up behind him.

"Glad you could make it Kate." He handed her the datapad. "Take a quick look over this, it shows the steps we need to do to reboot the core."

Kate nodded, briefly looking over it. "Okay." She handed it back to Mark and gestured to the jefferies tube. "Whenever you're ready."

Mark nodded and slipped the datapad into his uniform pocket. He climbed into the jefferies tube and crawled until he reached the first junction. There was a door leading out of it. "This is it." Mark said, accessing the door controls nearby.

He tried to open it, but the door refused to open. "We're going to have to switch it over to manual." The next sequence of commands resulted in the door opening partway, the usual locks disabled.

Mark moved to pull one side open and held it there. Kate climbed through, and then Mark followed. At first, he wasn't certain what to do. The computer core extended up three decks through a round hole in the ceiling. Its round cylindrical body took up most of the room. He pulled out his datapad and found the correct controls.

They were secluded in an alcove on the far wall. Mark approached it and opened the panel that revealed the manual controls. He glanced up at Kate. "When this light here turns blue, turn off the power." He said, pointing out the panel Kate would need to use.

Mark checked his datapad again, this time finding the system controls. They were physically attached to the computer core. He momentarily paused, moving his hand closer to the core but not actually touching it. He didn't feel any residual electricity so he moved to the panel.

The first step involved initiating the standby power mode on the core, which would shut down most of the primary systems inside the core and shift the main burden to the auxiliary core. The second step would involve shutting down the power, which was Kate's job.

At that point, the whole core would be offline. From there, he'd have to pull the battery backups. The core would lose its stored encryption keys and allow him to reprogram it. After that it was a simple matter of bringing the core back online and telling it to copy the command codes and system specs from the auxiliary core.

Mark entered the first code sequence. The small display next to the panel showed a command line interface. Each system slowly read transferring to auxiliary core and shutting down. He waited patiently. After several agonizing seconds, the display read, 'System Standby.' Mark finally allowed himself to breath.

He turned to Kate, and heard the core power back up. He looked back at the panel. It read, 'Failsafe Mode Activated.' Mark swore, entering the shut down sequence again.

"Access denied." The ominous voice of the computer said. "Unauthorized tampering with the computer core detected. All systems locked down."

Mark jumped back as a force field sprung up around the core. He glanced back at the door, just in time to see another force field spring up on the door. Mark swore yet again. He tapped his commbadge. "Bridge, what's going on?"

"We just lost control of every system on the ship." Sean replied quickly. "Life support has been cut off on all decks. The warp engines just went offline too! What's going on down there?"

"Something went wrong when I tried to reboot the system." Mark replied. "We've been sealed in and there are force fields covering the core and the exit."

"I'm bringing a team down there; we'll try and break you out. Hang tight."

Mark narrowed his eyes, looking at what they still had. The one thing the computer had not placed a force field over was the power control console. He crossed the bay and sat down next to Kate. "Alright, let's start with what we know."

"We obviously can't shut down the core manually." Kate said, pointing to the control console behind the force field. "Is it still possible to just turn the power off?"

"Not properly." Mark pulled out his datapad, glancing over the downloaded directions. He'd be the first to admit he hadn't ever worked on a computer core before. Warp field physics made more sense to him.

"Are there controls elsewhere?" Kate asked, pointing back the way they'd come. "It's gotta have a failsafe."

"Commander Turner." Mark heard Klena's voice emanate from his commbadge.

"What happened?"

"We have just lost power to all systems on the ship."

"Battery backups?"

"They are not responding. Captain Cunningham will be at your position shortly."

"Hope he can get through the force field." Mark muttered.

"We're at the jefferies tube." Sean's voice now came from his commbadge. "Jason's is trying to get past the force fields."

"It's not looking good Commander." It was Jason's voice now. Mark could hear the beeping of a console as Jason talked.

"We've got no control out here, so keep trying to figure out what's going on. Hopefully we'll be there soon."

"Thanks." Mark glanced at the power lines running from the wall to the core, then back at the power console. "Let's try working with the isolinear chips."

"I thought the ship ran on bio-neural circuitry." Kate slid back to give Mark room to work on the power console.

"It does." Mark pulled the casing off the bottom of the power console. "But the most basic systems still run on isolinear chips. Bio-neural circuitry is still pretty new." He leaned closer to look at the various labels above each chip, including the empty trays. "Things like a power console still run on them because the enhanced computer power is useless to this system. And the gel pack might not survive all that energy running through it."

Mark pulled the two chips out of the far slots. "Now if I put these in over here in the aux power slots, this should take away the power." He reinserted the chips into the nearest slots and waited for a second; there was no change. "That should have worked."

"I thought those literally controlled computer pathways." Kate glanced at Mark.

"In a sense." Mark shrugged. "They direct the flow of information. Yet the computer is negating the isolinear chip input."

"I thought it couldn't do that."

"It shouldn't. But it is." Mark stared at the chips. "It could have something to do with the bio-neural circuitry on the rest of the ship. But that doesn't help us."

"What if we just physically pull the cables?" Kate asked not taking her gaze from the power conduits.

"We'll electrocute ourselves in the process." Mark replied.

"But would it work?" Kate asked.

"The conduits would short circuit the core's power system." He traced the power line with his hands. "From there the auxiliary core would take over. We couldn't do it at warp, but we're not at warp right now."

"We've got to pull the conduits." Kate looked at the power conduits.

"Don't even think about touching that ensign." Mark said. "If we come to that it's going to be me."

"Mark, we've got another problem." Sean's voice emanated from Mark's commbadge again. "Several crewmen in the mess hall have spotted a Galaxy class starship heading right for us." He heard Sean sigh. "And we haven't gotten through the first force field yet."

"Understood." Mark replied. He looked at the power couplings again. "We don't have a choice." He placed a firm grip on both of the power conduits. "There's a chance I can do this right, it's just going to take a bit of luck." He looked at Kate. "Stand back."

"Commander..." Kate shifted uncomfortably.

"There's no other choice." Mark motioned for her to get back. "As soon as I get the conduits to short circuit, tell Commander Klena to power up the auxiliary core."

Kate nodded, stepping back. "Commander, I'm not..."

Mark didn't wait to listen to her protest. If he thought about this anymore he wasn't going to be able to do it. _We need a miracle._ He yanked and heard the conduits tear. The next thing he knew, he felt every muscle in his body spasm.

He lost his grip and felt himself fly backward. A soaring pain echoed in his skull, and then blackness claimed him.

XXX

"There's nothing you can do?" Sean asked, leaning over Jason's shoulder. He tried to hide the frustration.

"I've tried everything I know sir." Jason replied, standing back up. "If it was just the door then I would've cut through it a long time ago."

"Commander Klena, Mark managed to cut the power." Kate's voice came from Sean's commbadge ragged, as if she was on the verge of tears. "Power up the auxiliary core."

The force field deactivated as the power returned. Sean climbed into the tube face first. Not paying attention to the burning in his knees and arms, he crawled along the tube as quickly as he could.

He reached the open door and nearly tripped over his own feet as he saw the sight in the computer core. Kate was trying to pull Mark back from the sparking power conduits. Sean forced himself to focus, and slid through the door.

"What happened?" He asked softly, quickly checking Mark's pulse as he did. Mark had severe burns on his hands, his skin bloodied and dark red. There was a trickle of blood down his cheek.

"He pulled the conduits manually!" Kate replied, her voice an octave above where it should have been.

"Take it easy Kate." Sean said. "He's going to be fine; we just need to get him to sickbay." Sean tapped his commbadge. "We need an emergency transport in the computer core."

"Transporters are offline." Klena replied. "Sensors have been restored however."

Sean rolled Mark away from the power conduits. "Kate, grab his feet and help me get him through the jefferies tube. The security detail has some basic medical supplies." Sean carefully hauled Mark up, making sure to support the engineer's head with his lower arm.

The Jefferies tube felt smaller when Sean tried to crawl backwards, still trying to make sure Mark's head was supported and that he didn't hit anything. Fortunately, it didn't take long before he was back in the corridor, gently setting Mark down on the floor.

"Get me a bandage" Sean said, taking it as it was offered from Jason. Sean carefully applied the bandage to Mark's scorched hands and arms. "Jason, make sure Mark gets to sickbay." He stood up. "Kate, we're going to be needed on the Bridge."

Kate shook her head, and then joined him in the turbolift. "He could've died... he knew that..." Kate's voice trailed off.

"Yeah, he knew it." Sean replied. "That's what makes him a great officer. One day, we all have to make those choices."

"I couldn't have done it." She said as the door opened.

"When you have to make that choice Kate, you'll know what to do." Sean put a hand on her shoulder, and then stepped onto the Bridge. "How close are we to the Starbase?"

"Within two lightyears." Nathan said. "But the Galaxy class coming towards us, the USS Galatea is about ten minutes from weapons range."

Sean took his seat. "What do we have?"

"The auxiliary computer core is initializing." Kate said from her station. "It says it needs ten minutes to complete the start up."

"I've got phaser control." Nathan said. "But torpedoes are a no-go."

"We've got basic maneuvering thrusters." Erica said from the helm. "Impulse in five minutes, warp in ten."

"Shields?" Sean asked, looking back at Nathan.

He shook his head. "Ten minutes."

"Obviously we can't fight our way out." Sean leaned against the armrest to his left for a second. "Shut down anything we're not going to need. Erica, put us in a very lazy spin."

"Like we're drifting?" She asked, looked back.

"You got it."

"We won't look like space debris." Nathan warned.

"All we have to do is confuse them for a few seconds. As soon as we get warp I want us out of here." He paused, making sure everyone understood. "Erica, I want you to have a course ready. Find us a place to hide."

"Yes sir." Erica turned back to her console. She replaced the image on the viewscreen with a diagram of the sector. "I'm looking at the nearby nebula. It's a good lightyear away." There's an asteroid belt closer, but it won't keep us well shielded from visual scans."

"Head for the nebula." Sean leaned forward. "Give me a visual on the Galatea."

The image on the viewscreen switched to a head on view of the Galatea as it approached. Sean felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "What's the status on their weapons and shields?"

"Their shields are up." Nathan replied. "However, their weapons are still offline."

Sean clenched his fist. "If they power weapons prepare to fire."

"Captain Cunningham, this is Crewman Lshan. Commander Turner has left Sickbay."

Sean blinked. "How crewman?"

"I don't know sir. He deactivated the EMH while I was in the opposite room preparing a sedative to help him rest."

Sean shook his head. "Klena, you're in command. I know where Mark is." Not waiting for his first officer to protest, Sean leaped over the railing and into the turbolift. He fingered the button for Engineering.

He tapped his commbadge. "Crewman Lshan, be ready to sedate him the moment I get him back to Sickbay."

"Yes sir."

Sean stepped out of the turbolift and immediately transitioned to running. The door to Engineering opened silently. It didn't take him long to find Mark, especially after the engineer grunted in pain.

"Mark, what are you doing?" Sean quickly walked over to him.

"Just give me a chance to finish!" Mark waved his swollen hands to keep him back.

"You should be in sickbay!"

"Not until the ship..." Mark shuddered in pain, his fingers leaving a bloody trail on the consoles. "... is safe." He entered another string of numbers, the fell backwards.

Sean barely caught him in time, carefully setting him down. "Computer, initiate a site to site..."

Mark's bloodied hand grabbed his uniform. "Start the primary core." He gasped for air. "Run the command string I've entered." His hand slid off Sean's uniform. His eyes closed and his whole body went limp.

Sean checked for a pulse, it was there, barely. He glanced over at the console. A single display read 'Transfer Sequence Ready.' Sean turned back to the console. The sequence to start the core was easy, in seconds another display read 'Computer Core Ready to Upload.'

Sean activated the program Mark had entered into the computer. Commands flew past on the screen, a long list of variables and applications. Sean lost track in seconds. Within a second they stopped. A single string of text remained on the screen 'Engage Primary Core.'

Sean pressed the button to initialize the core. In seconds the display lit up with a status report on the primary computer core.

"Captain, full system control has been restored." Klena's voice emanated from Sean's commbadge.

Sean tapped his commbadge to reply. "Get us out of here Klena." He kneeled down next to Mark. "Computer, initiate site to site transport. Beam Commander Turner to sickbay." A second later the transporter enveloped him.

Sean stood back up, feeling the ship lurch as it went to warp. He glanced around engineering. He'd never seen it so deserted. Both of his engineers were in sickbay. He walked over to the console near the warp core, rerouting engineering control to the Bridge.

"Sir, they are matching our course and speed." He heard Erica's voice come from his commbadge.

"On my way." Sean replied. "Computer, dim lighting." He turned and ran for the turbolift.

XXX

Sean stepped out onto the Bridge, just as the ship rattled from an impact. "Status?"

"Shields are holding." Nathan replied. "We're slowly pulling away from them."

Sean walked slowly down to his chair. "Time to the nebula?"

"We're almost there." Erica replied. "I'm going to have to drop us out of warp just short of the Nebula."

Sean thought for a second, and then grinned from ear to ear. "I've got an idea." He glanced back at Nathan. "Have the torpedo crews reconfigure two torpedoes for a proximity detonation. It'll create a blinding flash of light."

Nathan nodded, entering a string of commands into his console. "They need a few seconds."

"We're dropping out of warp." Erica stated. "I'm bringing us to full impulse."

The ship shook with the impact of more torpedoes from the Galatea. "Torpedoes are ready." Nathan shouted, as the alarms began to wail. "It's now or never."

"FIRE!" Sean yelled in response. "Erica, go!"

Two torpedoes streaked out of the Guenidier's aft torpedo launcher. They exploded right in front of the Galatea's shield. Super heated plasma spewed in all directions. The Galatea's shield turned opaque for a brief second.

In that second the Guenidier disappeared into the Nebula. Immediately its shields failed. Sean watched the front view screen carefully. "Any sign of pursuit?" He asked Nathan.

"Sensors are blind in this mess." Nathan checked his displays. "I'm not seeing any weapons fire. For now, we're safe."

"Stand down to condition green." Sean stood up. "Erica, do you have a bearing on a way through the Nebula?"

"Yes sir." Erica replied, glancing over her shoulder to make eye contract. "We'll come out a few lightyears short of where we wanted to be before this mess, but we can make it up."

"Good work everyone. Let's not do that again."

Nathan chuckled. "Amen."

XXX

Sean took a sip of his tea. The ambient lighting of the nebula kept the Mess Hall a perpetual color of purple and blue. It was tranquil, quiet, and peaceful. He could get used to it. It was a shame he was a fighter.

He glanced at his watch, it was well after midnight. The ship's crew was mostly asleep, except for the few crew members that had been assigned to the night shift. They were all on the bridge. He took another sip.

For some reason, a hot cup of tea, even decaffeinated helped him stay awake. The Doctor had promised to contact him the moment Mark awoke. Sleep had proven evasive tonight. He sighed, watching a flash of light spread across the blue portion of the cloud.

He heard the door open and close and turned around to see Kate enter the room. She went over to the replicator, and then came over with a steaming cup in her hands.

"Its after midnight Kate." He said.

"Couldn't sleep." She replied, taking a sip from her cup.

"Coffee won't help that." Sean pointed to her cup.

"Hot chocolate." She said, looking down. "Old habit."

"There's worse." Sean looked back out the window. "What brings you by here at 0035 in the morning?"

"Trying to clear my head." Kate leaned against the support beam next to the table. "I keep thinking there's something I could've done to change what happened to Mark."

"Well, there's one thing you could've done, but then you'd be in sickbay and I'd be talking to Mark about how he failed you." Sean stopped leaning against the table. "Heroism isn't something that you just have. Its something you just do when you have to."

He took a sip from his tea. "Mark's a good seven years older than you are Kate. He's done this for awhile. He knows that it's his job to do things like that."

"As an ensign, I'm expendable." Kate replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sean put a hand on her shoulder. "Kate, you are never expendable. Especially not on this ship."

"Captain, Commander Turner is awake." He heard Crewman Lshan's voice from his commbadge.

Sean brought his hand back to his side. "I think you should come too."

Kate nodded, but remained silent.

XXX

Sean stepped into sickbay; Kate was only a step behind him.

Crewman Lshan, a female Andorian stood over Mark. She stood almost seven feet tall, with long white hair and dark eyes. She looked up as Sean approached. "Captain, Ensign." She nodded to each of them in turn. "Commander Turner should be fine, provided he rests."

"Easy for you to say." Mark replied, shifting so that his hands were comfortably on top of his stomach.

"How are you Mark?" Sean gestured to Mark's hands.

"The EMH says I'll be out of here tomorrow. Lshan's keeping me off my feet for another day, probably in spite of the EMH."

"Your program worked. The entire system is online. We've not had any problems."

"How's William doing as Chief Engineer?"

"Enjoying himself." Sean laughed. "He's not used to doing it on his own."

"I know." Mark replied, he caught Sean's casual glance towards Kate. "How are you Kate?"

"Good sir." She replied automatically.

"I know better Kate." Mark sat up, being careful not to use his hands. "You couldn't sleep, right?"

"Yeah." She looked down, not meeting his gaze. "I keep thinking it should have been me to pull the conduits."

"No. It was my responsibility because I was in command."

"But..."

"That's how it is Kate. I don't blame you, and you can't blame yourself." He met her gaze evenly.

"I know." She said, trying to smile. "But it'll take some time."

"Time is one thing you've got plenty of."

"Seven more years of it." Sean added, drawing a smirk from Mark.

Kate turned slightly red. "Thank you, both of you." She met both of their gazes. "I'm going to try and get some rest now."

"Sleep well Kate." Mark said. He turned to Sean. "So what's on your mind?"

"How'd we get power back to the primary core?"

"It was a simple matter of rerouting the power through an additional set of power conduits. It was a short circuit, not a physical break in the connection. But a short circuit is enough to fry your computer."

"Interesting." Sean smiled. "Actually my reason for coming was to make sure Kate got to see you. I was more worried about her than you."

"Thanks." Mark groaned.

"She was a mess after you pulled those conduits Mark, and she's my ops officer. Besides, I knew you'd be fine once we got you to sickbay."

"Where'd you find her?"

"I waited in the mess hall, watching the nebula and drinking tea." He raised his cup.

"That's one way to do it."

"Get some rest Mark, or I'll have Lshan sedate you. That's an order." Sean turned to walk out of the room. "And Mark that was quite a thing you did today. You saved the ship."

"All in a day's work." Mark closed his eyes.

"You're right." Sean muttered, before leaving sickbay. It was all in a day's work.


	3. Mx03 The Return

Sean glanced at the schematics before him from behind his desk in his ready room. A 3-D image rotated to the left of the schematics, showing a modified Intrepid class ship before him. Mounted on the top of each warp nacelle was an extra phaser array. Just below the main saucer section, some of the living quarters had been removed and two giant phaser cannons rested in their place. He looked up at Nathan. "It's ambitious."

"While we lack the parts for them, I wanted to show you my plans." Nathan pointed to the updated ship on the computer screen. "It should drastically increase our chances of winning a battle."

Sean glanced down at the specifications again. "My only concern is power."

"As it stands, we could outfit the phaser arrays on the warp nacelles without boosting the power of the warp core. However, the phaser cannons require a lot of energy. They're worth it though."

"Any ideas as to where we could acquire the parts necessary to build these?"

"The two phaser arrays can easily be salvaged from a decommissioned Starfleet vessel. The phaser cannons can be constructed from a very specific group of parts. They basically channel a large amount of phaser energy in one direction."

"What parts are we talking about and where are we getting them from?"

"It'll take a bit of work, but we could build them from an existing set of phaser banks. In the end we'd get a much more powerful phaser. We would just need three phaser coils to construct each cannon. We would also need to construct a casing of double the usual protection rating to withstand the tremendous heat."

"What about the power?"

"To operate all of the ship with the extra power requirements, we'd need another warp core," He shrugged, "or one with twice the capacity of our current core. A core from another Intrepid class ship would work perfectly; we'd just have to modify engineering slightly."

"And they just leave these intact?"

"Not at a scrap yard, but at a decommissioning yard. Once they reach the scrap yard anything of value is pulled from the ship."

"So we're looking at a decommissioning yard raid?"

"Yes, but they're not heavily defended."

"Alright. We need this, so I want you to come up with a plan for where, when, and how. Once we have that, we can work out the logistics."

"We're approaching system 2105." Erica's voice emanated from his commbadge.

Sean stepped out onto the bridge. The usual stars flashing by the viewscreen at warp was replaced by the view of the gas giant. "Red Alert, shields up." Its red glow cast an eerie shadow on the darkened bridge. He glanced over his shoulder at Nathan. "Any activity?"

"The sensors are clear." Nathan replied, coming to his station. "It's strangely quiet."

"Kate, any sign of the temporal energy signatures that we detected last time we were here?"

"No." She glanced down at her console for a second. "There's nothing here to indicate there ever was a temporal energy signature."

"Let's take a look then." He stood up. "Erica, take us around the dark side of the moon so that we stay invisible for as long as possible."

"Aye sir." Erica replied. The viewscreen image rotated to show the moon where the Pandora had been destroyed. "We should have visual contact in a few moments."

"Stay at red alert." He glanced back at Kate. "Still no readings?"

Kate shook her head, and then stopped. "Wait, I'm reading a faint power signature. It's coming from the moon."

"Where on the moon?"

"It's centered on a three kilometer canyon. The dimensions of the canyon are identical to the station. It looks like it was built into the moon."

"It appears those responsible have vanished." Klena said. "But perhaps they left something behind."

Sean stood up. "That's my hope. Kate, is there any trace of wreckage from the Pandora?"

She shook her head. "Whoever was here, they cleaned up any trace of the battle. There's not even a residual warp trail."

"Any life support on what's left of the station?"

"Not enough." Kate glanced down at her console. "There are a handful of rooms showing partial atmosphere, but the radiation is high."

"Okay, Klena, Nathan, you're with me." He glanced at Erica. "The Bridge is yours. Keep the ship in a low orbit around the moon. Try to stay in the darkside."

"Yes sir." Erica turned her attention forward to her console.

Sean stepped into the turbolift. He tapped his commbadge as Klena and Nathan filed in. "Crewman Mills, could you please send up four environmental suits to the transporter room.

"You got it Captain." Mills replied.

"Mark, join us in the transporter room. Stop by weapons storage on your way up and get us four zero-gravity phaser rifles."

"Alright." Mark replied. "Give me five minutes."

"You've got it." Sean stepped out of the turbolift as it deposited them on Deck 4. The transporter room was just down the hall.

Waiting for them as they entered the room were the four environmental suits. Sean pulled his suit on, leaving the heavy helmet for last. The suit, unlike early models, which were heavy and rigid, was fully flexible with the exception of the helmet. A tricorder was mounted along the left forearm. He picked up his helmet, setting it over his head but not sealing the suit yet. The suit was designed to breathe freely without using its oxygen supply until sealed.

Mark entered with two phaser rifles slung over his shoulder and another pair in his arms. Sean took one of the rifles from the engineer's hands. He checked the power settings. It was set for stun.

"Ensign Filander transmitted the coordinates." The transporter chief, crewman Laysi Khrat, said. A Bolian, she had blue skin with a split ridge of skin running down the middle of her head. She was also bald, though sometime she wore a toupee. Sean had seen her wear it when in dress uniform.

"Alright, let's go." Sean stepped onto the transporter pad. He reached up and sealed his helmet with the quick press of the button just below his collar. He instantly felt the air pressure change, as well as the temperature. He flexed his free right hand while holding the rifle in his left as Klena, Mark, and Nathan stood on the transporter pads. "Energize."

A beam of light passed over him, and then he was on the station. His first vision was one of darkness. The light on his helmet came on automatically, followed by his rifle light. He swept his rifle across the darkened room.

There were two doors at opposite ends of the room. Consoles lined the walls, but they were all blank. "Power must be off." Sean murmured. His voice was picked up and amplified by the helmet mounted comm system.

Mark walked over to one of the consoles, attaching a small portable power device to it. The panel flickered to life. "What's left here is running on pure emergency power, but the system switched into standby mode to conserve power..." Mark's voice trailed off as he worked on the console. "There's only one section that's still got full life support, it looks like the Brig."

"The Brig?" Klena asked. "Would it not be illogical to leave prisoners behind?"

"Unless they didn't want to keep them alive." Nathan said.

"That is against Starfleet policy." Klena paused. "However, this whole installation violates Starfleet policy."

Mark yanked the power module off the console. "I've managed to get the computer to release the door locks." The console flicked out as soon as it lost power.

Sean glanced at the door behind them. "Kate, can you give us a bearing to the section with power?"

There was a pause before Kate replied. "The door directly behind you leads deeper into the subterranean part of the station. The section with power is definitely back there, but you're going to have to use tricorders. The Guenidier's sensors are having trouble penetrating the rock's crust."

"Stay in contact if possible." Sean walked forward, his boots staying magnetized to the floor of the station. The door was partially open, leaving enough room for Sean to pull the components apart.

The adjoining room was cylindrical. There was a small pit in the center of the room with a single round display in the center of it. The walls were again covered with consoles. "Any ideas?" He asked.

"I believe this section of the base would be the command center." Klena said. "Or at least some area of control."

"Mark, think you can get anything from the computers?"

Mark climbed down the steps to the center display. He attached the temporary power source to it. The display flicked to life, with a single lcars menu system appearing on a small console. "It looks like most of the data was cleaned up." He entered a series of commands. "There's some trace files that weren't deleted." He activated his wrist mounted tricorder. "I'm downloading them to my tricorder. We can restore them up once we get back to the Guenidier."

"Captain." Klena said, drawing Sean's attention over to her. She attached a power source to a very long display next to them. The display flickered to life, revealing the shape of the station. "I believe I have found what the station looked like before it was moved."

"Download it to your tricorder." Sean said, looking at the expansive design. "That definitely looks like the temporal station that I read about." He pointed to the large spherical structure in the center of the ring. "That was, in theory, where the temporal core would be located."

"How were they supposed to control something like that?" Nathan asked, coming to stand next to Sean.

"It seems improbable to believe they had any control over it at all." Klena said, pulling the power source from the console. The display instantly flickered back to nothing. "However, I find it equally unlikely that they would be able to construct an artificial temporal core."

"Hopefully we'll be able to shed some light on it once we get back to the Guenidier." Sean turned back to the center of the room. He activated his tricorder. The power source was beyond the far door of the room. "Let's keep going."

Mark had the door open by the time Sean got to it. Behind the door was a standard Starfleet corridor. "Looks almost like home." Mark said.

"Except it contains a mixture of radiation and no breathable air." Nathan replied. "There's also no cover."

"At this point, if we get into a firefight we're dead anyway." Sean said. "Though we'd have been shot at already it that was going to happen."

The corridor curved slightly to the right as they walked. Sean watched his tricorder. The display showed the power source to their left. A single door was visible down the hall. "That door looks like it leads to our power source."

It was not partially opened, unlike every other door they had encountered. "That's a problem." Mark said. "This door should have been opened with the rest of them."

Klena briefly scanned the door with her tricorder. "There is oxygen and minimal radiation beyond this door, as well as one life sign."

"That means this door is sealed." Nathan said. "The only way to open it without blasting all that air into the hall would be to use forcefields to make a second sealed layer."

"Is that even possible, given the station's state of power?" Sean asked.

Mark glanced around. "It's possible..." His voice trailed off as he spotted a small console on the wall. "Commander, hand me your power source." He said, looking to Nathan.

Nathan pulled the device from his equipment pouch on his suit and let it float to Mark. "Why do you need it?"

"If this is going to work we're gonna need the power of two of these things." Mark set Nathan's power source onto the console. "Okay, I can do it from here."

Sean handed Mark his power source. "It hasn't been used yet either."

Mark placed it next to Nathan's on the console. "This should activate the forcefields." Two forcefields sprang up on either side of them. The panel darkened slightly. "And here is the door release."

The door opened, revealing an equally dark room. Sean stepped through, letting Mark push off the wall. He floated in zero-gravity until he passed through the door, then he promptly crashed to the ground. The door closed behind him.

The room was a longer version of the corridor with doors along the walls. Each door stuck out a bit from the walls, giving the appearance of a further room. Sean looked down at his tricorder. "We've got air; radiation levels are lower here than they were in the previous sections."

"This doesn't look like the Brig." Nathan said. "Where are the forcefield controls?"

"There are none." Klena replied. "I believe this was built to conserve power. The doors along the wall may have power locks but they are designed to function even without power."

"So why does this room have power?" Mark asked. "Seems like the least likely place to have it."

Sean glanced down at his tricorder again, scanning the room as Mark's question resounded in his head, and then he noticed something he wasn't expecting. "I've got a life sign." He glanced up. "Looks like the third door down." He led the way; his boots automatically disengaged the magnetic locks to accommodate normal walking in a positive gravity environment.

He reached the door. The life sign remained on his tricorder, stronger than before. "There's definitely someone in there." He glanced at the large door before him. "Any ideas as to how we're going to get in there?"

"There is no control console near it." Mark glanced along the edges of it, scanning them with his tricorder. "Looks like the lock is fixed by three carbon based pins."

"Could we just shoot it open?" Nathan asked.

Mark ran the scans a second time. "I think so." He pointed out the location of each pin.

Sean nodded to Nathan. "Go for it."

Nathan raised his rifle and fired three shots, one into each pin. The shots left smoldering holes in the door where the pins had been. Sean reached up into one of the holes and pulled. The door slowly opened, revealing a bland cell.

A single cot was placed across the rear of the room. Four identical walls framed the sides and the top of the cell, all a gray color. There was only a single light source. A basic sonic shower was embedded in the rear wall.

Sean raised his rifle, sweeping the flashlight around the cell. The single occupant backed up. The occupant had brown hair and wore a black jumpsuit. Two dark eyes absorbed the light of the rifle. Sean lowered it. "I'm Captain Sean Cunningham. Who are you?"

"Wayne Bristol." The man stood up. "I thought I was going to die in here."

"Who was here?"

"Some kind of military people, I didn't recognize the uniforms." Wayne staggered slightly. "I've been locked up in here since after my cargo ship crash landed on the surface of the moon."

"Did they ever mention who they worked for?"

"No, but they tortured me for what I knew, which was nothing." He blinked. "Are you Starfleet?"

"Not exactly." Sean stepped back. "But we are here to help and to find out who was here."

"They were mainly human." Wayne stepped outside of his cell boundaries.

"That would suggest otherwise." Klena stated. "Almost all humans with any kind of military background belong to Starfleet."

"How long have you been here?" Sean asked.

"I tried to keep a record, but I lost count after two months. Then they all left yesterday, every last guard. I guess they didn't care about me." Wayne's voice was gruff, strained.

"How did they leave?"

"One minute, they were going about their duties. The next, they were all gone. They took every datapad, every phaser, everything." Wayne glanced over at Klena, Mark, and Nathan. "Who are they?"

"My first officer Commander Klena, my Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander Mark Turner, and my tactical officer, Lieutenant Commander Nathanial Stark."

Wayne nodded. "You said you weren't Starfleet. If you're not them then who are you?"

"Just over a week ago we were here, in orbit above the station. We were attacked by an unidentified defiant class starship. It destroyed the USS Pandora. We barely escaped."

"Wait a second..." Wayne's voice trailed off. "I heard one of the guards talk about a contingency plan, something as a result of the Pandora."

"Captain, we should not stay here long." Klena said, checking her tricorder. "I am reading irregularities in the power flow. There is no way to predict when the life support system will fail."

"We'll debrief him further on the ship. Right now he's our only lead." Sean paused, thumbing a small button on his hand to talk to the Guenidier. "Kate, can you hear me?" Static was his only response. "Kate, respond."

"There's probably some form of subspace interference here, designed to prevent prisoners from being beamed out." Nathan said. "That's going to complicate things."

"Klena, Mark, head back out to the main area, have Kate transport another environmental suit down." Sean ordered. The lights flickered. "Hurry."

Mark reached for the door. "Sean, we've got a problem."

"Define problem Mark?"

"The door has sealed again, and I've been locked out of my forcefield controls."

Nathan looked at the console. "This is an abnormally high-level Starfleet security lock down."

"Then we are trapped." Klena added. "With no way to get to out."

Wayne looked around, pointing to a wall on the far side. "I saw several of them go that way from my cell, they didn't come back."

Klena walked over to the wall, scanning it with her tricorder. "He is right; there is a hidden section of the facility. There appears to be oxygen, however the radiation level is moderately high."

"How long would Wayne have in that radiation?"

"He would have a mere five minutes." Klena turned around. "I however would have almost 30 minutes."

"Why would you have longer?" Wayne asked.

"I am Vulcan." She raised a single eyebrow. "I have a higher tolerance for radiation."

"There's no way anyone's going through that radiation." Sean stated. The lights in the room flickered again, this time staying off.

"Captain, we do not have a choice. I can survive the radiation and there is oxygen."

Sean swore, meeting Klena's calm gaze. "Alright, we'll do this your way Klena; you'll stay right behind me the entire time." Sean paused. "Nathan you are on point, Wayne is right behind you. Mark you bring up the rear."

Klena took her helmet off and set it on the ground. She then stripped out of the suit, leaving her with only her uniform and her phaser rifle. While Wayne geared up she walked over to Sean. "If I am to fall behind..."

"You are not being left behind." Sean replied, trying not to snap at her. "Even if I have to carry you back to the Guenidier, is that understood?"

"Yes Captain."

Sean glanced over at Mark. "Think you can get the door open?"

The Engineer pulled out his power source and clamped it to a small panel next to the wall section. "I found the door controls, but they're encrypted."

Nathan walked over, entering a series of commands into the panel. The door slid aside. "It's all a matter of knowing the right codes."

Sean motioned for Wayne to follow Nathan. The darkness of the tunnel seemed to swallow their flashlights mounted on both their helmets and phaser rifles. Sean could only here the clanking as each boot made contact with the floor.

The smooth metal quickly made way to hard rock, with only a metal grating between them and the floor. Sean glanced as his tricorder as they walked the temperature of the oxygenated tunnel kept dropping. It would not be long before Klena froze in the cold.

"There's a section of corridor ahead of us, it looks like it has a door that leads off to the right." Nathan's voice echoed in Sean's helmet.

There was a single door inside the corridor. Nathan approached it and it opened silently. Sean followed Wayne into the room. The room was vast, with a large roof that was transparent, providing a view of the stars. There was still power. Every console in the room was online.

Sean looked down at his tricorder. The radiation level was significantly lower in the room than it was in the hall, and the temperature had returned to normal. Klena was hunched over slightly, but otherwise looked fine. "Klena, are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes Captain." Klena took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second. "I will be fine."

Sean nodded, and then turned back to Mark. "Any chance the Guenidier can hear us?"

"Its possible, we're really close to the surface now." Mark replied. "Unless there's a localized jamming field, we should be fine."

"See what you can dig up with the computers." He activated his suit's comm system so he could talk to the Guenidier. "Kate, can you hear me?"

"Yes sir." Kate's relief could be heard through the comm line. "Glad that you're okay. Where are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're not visible on our scanners."

"Hang on for a second." He glanced over at Mark. "This section has power, is it possible that it's still cloaked?"

Mark looked up from the console he was at. "It's possible." Mark looked down at the panel, entering commands. "I found the cloak. For some reason they wanted this section of the station intact. They even went to the trouble to make sure it had enough power to stay cloaked for a very long time."

"Can you shut it down?" Nathan asked.

"Yep." Mark entered a series of commands. "That should do it."

"Kate, can you see us on sensors now?" Sean asked over the comm line.

"Yep... wait... there are five of you."

"We picked up a prisoner from the brig here. He knows a bit about who was here."

"Alright. We can beam you back whenever you're ready."

Sean glanced back over at Mark. "Anything of value?"

"No, these computers are as empty as the rest of them." Mark activated his tricorder. "I'm downloading everything from it anyway; I'll go over the rest of it once we get to the ship." Mark stepped away from the console. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Nathan?"

"There's nothing more to see here." Nathan walked back over to him.

"Guendier, five to beam up." The transporter beam enveloped him, and the next thing he knew he was back at home in the transporter room. "Good work Laysi." Sean released his helmet and pulled it off his head. There was a hiss as the air pressure equalized.

He pulled the helmet off his head and set it down on the ground, pulling the suit off as well. It came off in one piece. He folded it up and set it down next to the suit. He set his phaser rifle down next to the suit and helmet.

He stopped Nathan short of putting his weapon down. "Nathan, keep your phaser rifle."

Nathan nodded.

Sean turned back to Klena. She looked sick, almost green. "Klena, you don't look so good."

She nodded. "I believe I may need some medical attention."

Sean glanced at Mark. "Get Kate to help you with those files."

Mark nodded, downloading his tricorder data into the computer. "Hopefully they'll yield something interesting."

Sean turned to Wayne. "Follow me to sickbay." Wayne nodded in reply, gesturing for Sean to lead the way. Sean headed for the turbolift. He thumbed the button for Deck 5 once they entered the lift.

A tense silence descended over the turbolift. Nathan was in the back, with a phaser rifle still in hand. Sean stepped out first as the door opened. Sickbay was just around the corner. He entered it, gesturing for Wayne to take a seat on one of the side beds. Klena sat down in the main surgical bed.

Lshan walked out from the medical office. "How can I help you Captain?"

"Can you run a quick scan of Klena? She was exposed to some high levels of radiation on the space station."

"Computer, activate the EMH." Lshan said.

The EMH appeared next to her. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

"Commander Klena was exposed to some high levels of radiation; I'm not properly certified in that area. Could you have a look?"

"Of course." The EMH walked over to Klena. He used a tricorder to quickly scan her. "There is no permanent damage, although her digestive system will be upset for a few hours. Provide her with a dose of hyronalin. You are free to go afterwards."

Lshan nodded, walking over to the medical lab. She returned only seconds later with a hypospray. "This should help with the symptoms."

"The only real doctor's orders are to get some rest." The EMH said cheerfully.

"Thank you Doctor, I shall endeavor to get some rest." Klena left the room.

"Is there anything else Captain?" The EMH asked.

"I'd like you to run some basic tests on Mr. Wayne Bristol." Sean said, gesturing to Wayne. "We picked him up on the station."

"Very well." The EMH looked to Lshan. "Take a blood sample and run it through the computer. I'll take a detailed scan of him."

Lshan nodded, taking out a small device from the medical console and pressing it to his arm. There was a hiss, then a click. She then took the device and disappeared back into the medical lab.

"Have you had any kind of injuries I should be aware of?" The EMH asked Wayne.

"I broke a few bones as a kid, but nothing recent." Wayne replied, not looking at the EMH.

"Very well, I can see no reason to keep you here." The EMH nodded. "You are in good health Mr. Bristol."

"Thanks." Wayne replied. He slid off the bed and turned to Sean. "So where to from here?"

"Commander Stark will escort you to the guest quarters. I'll have crewman Striker assist you. He'll help you with anything you need."

Wayne nodded, and then followed Nathan out of the room. Sean glanced at the EMH. "Keep me informed."

Sean entered the turbolift. "Bridge." The lift hummed as it zoomed up and over. He could just barely feel the movement. The door opened and he stepped out onto the Bridge. "Any luck?" He said, glancing over at Kate and Mark.

Mark shook his head. "We're reconstructing the files using some of the best algorithms available, but we still don't have a clear picture."

"The diagram of the station gives us a good picture of its design." Kate projected the image onto the viewscreen. "Here there are definite weapons emplacements. We can tell because of the sections embedded in the hull." The view zoomed in on the outer ring of the station, showing the section of the hull. "If this diagram was complete, we'd see a weapon battery in there. My guess is it'd be a type 12 phaser array."

"Why didn't the station shoot at us then?" Sean murmured, leaning against the railing. "Type 12 phasers would've easily cut right through us."

"The cloak might have been interfering with their weapons systems." Mark turned around and leaned against the console he'd been working at. "It takes an extraordinary amount of power to cloak something, especially something that big."

"And if they had decloaked, it would have exposed them to our scanners." Klena said.

"Alright. Keep digging, hopefully we'll find something."

"Captain, Mr. Bristol wants to talk to you." Jason's voice came from Sean's commbadge.

"Bring him to my ready room; I'll talk to him there." Sean glanced at the display on the viewscreen, then shook his head and walked to his ready room.

He took a seat behind the desk, activating his computer with the touch of a button. The lcars menu system appeared. He activated the recording system just as Jason entered with Wayne right behind him.

Jason took a spot by the door. Sean motioned for Wayne to sit. "How are your quarters?"

"They're comfortable." Wayne replied, his dark eyes leaving Sean with a feeling of deja vu to the trial with Admiral Wolf. "You said on the Station that Starfleet framed you, I want to help."

"I'm going to go out on a limb. We hardly know who you are, how do I know I can trust you?"

"From what I overheard on the station, it was Starfleet that was holding me." He looked around the room. "I don't have any love for them after that. If you're willing to accept me, I can do something about it."

Sean leaned forward. "I'll consider it. For now, I want you to stay in your quarters."

"Under guard?" Wayne asked, his voice carrying a note of anger.

"Until I can trust you Mr. Bristol, this is my ship." Sean saved the recording of the meeting. "Thank you for talking to me."

Jason led Wayne out of the room. Sean shook his head. It was too easy with Wayne, too easy to get him to join them. He flexed his fingers involuntarily, and then walked back out onto the Bridge. He approached Nathan. "Run a search on the Starfleet database for a Wayne Bristol."

Nathan nodded and entered a handful of commands into his console. "Here's something interesting. According to the database Mr. Bristol is a member of Starfleet."

"So where is he assigned?"

"The USS Trinity, Akira class." Nathan narrowed his eyes. "But he doesn't have a service jacket. There's no record of him doing anything on that ship."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no log entries, no date of when he left the ship to be a freighter pilot. The only thing here is his commissioning date." Nathan looked up. "There's something wrong here."

"Everyone has more in their file than that, even cadets at Starfleet academy."

Nathan's console started beeping at him. He looked down. "A ship just warped into the system. It's the USS Darwin, she has weapons powered and shields already up."

"Red Alert, prepare to get out of here." Sean walked to his seat. "Erica, plot us an exit course."

"Captain, shields aren't responding." Nathan said.

"I've lost engines." Erica added. "All we have are maneuvering thrusters!"

Sean tapped his commbadge. "Engineering, what's happening?" There was no response. "Crewman Scott, please respond!"

"I've got to get down there." Mark said.

"Nathan, go with him." Sean ordered. "Security to the guest quarters."

Sean sat down. "Klena, cover tactical."

"Tactical will be of little use." She said as she took the station. "They are approaching from our port side; our phaser fire has minimal effectiveness there. The Norway class has strong forward phasers."

"Without shields it doesn't matter."

"Security here." Sean heard from his commbadge. "We've located crewman Striker, he's unconscious in the guest quarters. His phaser and tricorder are gone."

"Get him up to Deck 2." Sean glanced over at Kate. "Put me on ship-wide audio."

She nodded.

"This is the Captain; chances are we're about to boarded by Federation officers. We obviously can't control every section of the ship, so I want everyone to hold critical positions. If you are unsure of where to go, head for the Mess Hall on Deck 2. Security, distribute phaser rifles to everyone."

"They're hailing." Kate said, taking a deep breath after she did.

"Alright, let's hear it. At the very least it buys us time."

The image on the view screen was replaced with a view of the Darwin's commander. He was a graying man, with a short military trimmed hair cut. Two blue eyes sharply contrasted the paleness of his skin. "I'm Captain Morgan Ellsworth of the USS Darwin."

"Captain Sean Cunningham of the Guenidier." Sean stood to face the Captain of the other ship.

"More correctly the USS Foxhound, a vessel that you stole. Stealing a Starfleet vessel for your own personal profit is a high crime." Captain Ellsworth cleared his throat. "Here is the offer Starfleet is prepared to make you."

Sean crossed his arms, listening even though he had no intention of listening.

"Surrender your ship, peacefully allow yourselves to be taken into custody, and you will be allowed to go free. That is the only offer."

"This actually sounds familiar Captain." Sean replied sarcastically. "This sounds like how we got into this mess to begin with." He started to pace. "We allowed ourselves to be taken prisoner." He narrowed his vision. "Now tell me Captain, since I have no intention of surrendering. What are your real orders?"

"You are to be taken into custody, and returned to Starfleet Command." Captain Ellsworth broke his gaze. "I have no quarrel with you Captain, but you have violated Federation law. Prepare to be boarded."

"Good luck Captain." Sean said just as Captain Ellsworth cut the transmission. "This is it." He said.

Two security officers entered the Bridge, carrying phaser rifles. They quickly began passing them out. Sean took two from one of the officers and passed one to Erica. The officers quickly left.

He tapped his commbadge. "Attention all hands, we're about to be boarded. Stay together and we'll make it through this." He glanced up at Klena. "Any chance we can disable them with just our phasers?"

"Not before they caused considerable damage." She replied, holding her phaser rifle with one hand. "However, if we were to regain control of shields and engines, the balance of power would shift."

"Then let's just hope Nathan and Mark get to engineering soon." Sean turned back to the Bridge crew. "Find defensive positions. Set your phasers to stun." He knew they would be coming any second from now.

XXX

Nathan yanked Mark back just as the first phaser bolts came racing down the corridor. The engineer pressed his back against the wall, watching the rear. Nathan held his rifle at the ready, poking his head around the corner.

Engineering was just down the hall, but Starfleet marines were already in control. They were camped in the doorway. Another series of phaser blasts forced him to duck behind the corner again. He glanced over at Mark. "There are four guards, two in the door, and two across the hall."

Mark reset his rifle to burst mode. "I'll cover you."

Nathan nodded. He reset his own rifle to fully automatic fire mode. It would fire much like the burst mode, but in a consistent stream. He took a deep breath, and then came around the corner. He sidestepped as he fired, a consistent stream of phaser bolts flying both directions down the hall.

The small alcove he got in was barely big enough to be cover. He didn't need it. Mark popped around the corner next, firing at the marines near the entrance to engineering. Nathan took advantage of their distraction and leaned around the corner, firing at the marines across the hall. He managed to hit one in the stomach and the other in the upper chest.

It didn't matter where he hit them with the phaser on stun; both of them were out for the count. He ducked back around the corner, narrowly avoiding getting shot. Mark fired a burst from around the corner, and then Nathan ducked out again. He crouched and fired at the other two marines. Mark got one with a burst; Nathan took the other one out.

Mark jogged forward, stopping just short of the entrance to engineering. Nathan came up behind him. "Watch the balconies, covering fire, now!"

Mark pointed his rifle around the corner and carefully fired a burst to either side of the warp core as Nathan ran across the entryway. A series of phaser shots rained down from the balcony. Mark shifted his aim and leaned around the corner.

He spotted to marines on the balcony. He fired a burst. The marine slouched back from the impact. Nathan took the other guard out with a single shot. He carefully poked his head around the corner.

No more phaser fire greeted them, so Nathan took the first step in. He spotted William slouched over a console, his hands bound by a crude set of cuffs. Mark ran over to him. "What happened?"

"Bristol came in here and held me at phaser point, and then those Starfleet people came." William muttered. "They whacked me over the head pretty good."

"Where did Bristol go?" Nathan asked.

"He beamed out with a datapad. I think he downloaded our command codes from the computer core."

"Did he say anything?"

"Only that we'd regret the day we crossed him." William coughed. "I think he was Starfleet intelligence of some sort. He knew exactly how to break into our computers."

"Where did he sabotage the shields and engines?" Mark asked.

"He disabled the power flow to them, encrypted it with some key."

Nathan finally cut through the cuffs. "Is there any way to break through it?"

Mark glanced at the console. "Oh man this is bad." He entered a set of commands. "It's going to take me a good ten minutes to get through this!"

"We don't have ten minutes."

Mark looked back at Nathan. "I know."

XXX

Sean ducked as another bolt impacted near his head. Both turbolifts were providing cover to Starfleet marines, leaving him with little room to move behind the helm console, especially with the ready room and the briefing room also providing a place for the Starfleet marines to hide.

Sean fired a burst towards the turbolift next to tactical, catching one of the marines in the head. Even a stun bolt to the head was likely to kill. At this point he didn't feel guilty. The reports from his commbadge told the same story, everyone was pinned down.

"Mark, please tell me you've got the shields back."

"Almost!" Mark replied through the commbadge.

Erica peaked around the corner of the helm console and fired a burst into the turbolift next to ops. She managed to hit both of the marines in the turbolift. "YES!!!" She shouted, drawing the fire from the other turbolift and the ready room.

Sean used that distraction to fire into his ready room. Both of the marines in the doorway ducked to avoid being hit. Klena took a shot to the shoulder as the marines in the briefing room fired at her in response.

She ducked behind the tactical console. "They are not using the stun setting." Her voice came from his commbadge.

"Then try not to get hit again." Sean shouted back. He tapped Erica on the shoulder. "Cover me."

She nodded.

He fired another set of shots into the briefing room, forcing both marines to duck inside the briefing room. He then fired another burst into his ready room. He got one of the marines with a lucky shot. The other ducked out of the way.

Kate saw what he was trying to do and added her phaser rifle to the mix. Her shots further forced the guard to back up from the doorway of Sean's ready room. Sean ran across the room, ducking as he went. The door to his ready room was a trap and he knew it, at the last second he threw himself into a roll.

The shots intended for his head passed harmlessly above him. He raised his rifle and fired on the marine, catching him twice at close range. The marine slumped over on the couch of the ready room. Sean pressed his back to the wall, just out of reach of the marines in the briefing room.

He tapped his commbadge. "Mark?"

"I got it!" Mark replied. "Shields are coming online."

"Good, that will prevent them from beaming in reinforcements." Sean leaned around the corner and fired into the briefing room. One of his bursts hit the marine on the right side of the doorway. The second one jumped back out of the way.

That left two marines in the room. They both had defensible positions, but now they were outnumbered. Sean ducked to the opposite side of the door. Klena couldn't move from behind the tactical station, phaser bursts kept her from coming around the corner.

Sean caught Erica's eye and motioned for her to cross the room quickly and take the final marine in the briefing room. Klena fired a burst towards the briefing room right before Erica ducked in, firing as she went.

She took up a position in the doorway of the briefing room, signaling it was all clear with a wave of her hand. She slowly advanced, coming up to the top of the Bridge. She quietly walked to right next to the turbolift.

Klena leaned out for just a second, drawing the fire of the marine in turbolift, then Erica came around the corner. The split second it took for the marine to shift targets was all the time Erica needed to hit him with a precise shot to the abdomen.

Sean looked around the Bridge. "Clear." He called.

"Clear." Erica echoed.

"Klena, target the Darwin's shields, then weapons, and finally engines." Sean came back to his seat. "Erica, bring us around and keep our phaser banks within range of them."

"Yes sir." Erica said cheerfully.

"Phasers only, let's try to conserve our torpedoes." Sean ordered. The Guenidier fired on the Darwin as it accelerated.

"Their shields are holding." Klena announced. "However, they will not for long."

"Fire at will." Sean said, momentarily enjoying the elation of victory against a superior force. The Guenidier fired again, this time its phasers broke through the Darwin's shields. The phasers cut holes into the Darwin's hull, exposing circuitry to space.

"There weapons and shields are offline." Klena announced. "Targeting their warp engines." She waited as the phasers ripped through the warp nacelles of the Darwin. Warp plasma bled into space. "They are drifting Captain."

"How is their life support?"

"It is mildly damage, nothing that cannot be fixed."

"Their comm system?"

"It is operational."

"Hail them." Sean stood back up as the image on the view screen changed to one of Captain Ellsworth again. Sean could see the signs of damage in the background of the Bridge of the Darwin.

"What do you want?" Ellsworth asked. "We left your ship undamaged!"

"You sabotaged my ship, and tried to kill my crew." Sean looked at him. "But here's what we're going to do. We're going to return all of your marines. They are unconscious, thankfully because we were using stun. After that we will take what we want from your cargo bays with our transporters. By the time Federation reinforcements arrive, we'll be long gone."

"Why?"

"I'm not a murderer Captain. No one here is, with the exception of your marines." Sean paused. "Make no more aggressive moves and I will not cause further damage to your ship. If you do however, I will."

"Understood." Captain Ellsworth glared at Sean.

Kate cut the transmission. "They've activated a standard Starfleet distress beacon."

"Let them." Sean replied. He tapped his commbadge. "Security, what's the status of our guests?"

"We've got all of them." Nathan replied. "I'm on Deck 2. We've got a total of thirty prisoners here, another six in Engineering, and however many you've got on the Bridge."

"Assemble them for transport." Sean replied. "We're beaming them all back to the Darwin."

"Yes sir." Nathan replied. "They're in the main commissary of the mess hall."

Sean looked over at Kate. "Energize."

Kate nodded. A transporter beam enveloped all of the unconscious marines on the Bridge. "They're all over there."

"Find their torpedo magazine. Beam all their torpedoes over to our ship."

She nodded. "We've got 45 torpedoes from them. I put them in the Cargo Bay."

"Leave them the rest." Sean crossed his arms. "Erica, get us out of here, warp 8."

She nodded.

XXX

Sean looked out the window of the briefing room. The stars streaked as the ship passed them by at warp. He turned back to face his officers. "What did we recover from the data we got from the station?"

"Nothing." Kate said. "There was absolutely nothing there. Aside from some assumptions based on the overall geometry of the station, we have nothing."

"Mr. Bristol also escaped." Nathan added. "He took with him our command codes, our crew manifest, and our supplies manifest. Starfleet knows what we need. Chances are we won't have too many more chances to restock here."

Sean took a seat at the head of the table. Klena, Nathan, and Kate sat to his left at the table. Erica and Mark sat on the other side. "What kinds of leads are we looking at?"

"Our only lead suggests that Starfleet intelligence may be behind these actions by Starfleet." Klena said. "However, we have no way to get to Earth anymore."

"So that leaves with no leads?" Sean asked.

"They cleaned up that installation too well." Nathan said. "I don't care if you are professionals. There was nothing left behind except bait."

"And I fell for it." Sean said, drawing the attention back to him. "We've made mistakes, but we're not done yet."

"We must avoid detection." Klena said. "Our strength is exhausted. The crew cannot sustain this ship themselves. Not properly."

"I could use a few more engineers." Mark mentioned. "We only have three as it is, and one of them works the night shift."

"I know." Sean said. "I've asked a lot of all of you. We need a place to avoid detection, there's not a place in the near Alpha quadrant we could hide though."

"The Beta quadrant." Erica said. "Starfleet has a very small presence there, mainly along the neutral zone."

"Are we sure we want to go there?" Mark said. "Starfleet has done little exploration of that quadrant and the Klingons and Romulans still hold that data close to them."

Nathan shook his head. "There's no way we'd make it through the Klingon/Romulan neutral zone, not in our current condition. It's one of the most heavily guarded borders in the Alpha quadrant."

"It's our best bet." Erica said. "That's a border the Federation won't dare follow us across."

Sean rested his head on his hand for a second. "For now we'll chart our course to the Neutral zone." He shook his head to clear it. "Try to get some rest. We'll be in for a long trip."

XXX

Sean looked down at his steaming cut of tea. The only lighting in the mess hall was from the starlight and the few lights still on in the back. He cupped it with his hands, letting the heat from the tea seep through the cup and to his hands, leaning against the table as he did.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Captain, you okay?" Kate asked.

"Yeah." He said softly with a smile. "What brings you by the Mess Hall this late at night?"

"I could ask you the same question." She said taking her hand off his shoulder to lift her cup to her mouth.

"Hot chocolate I presume?" He gestured to her cup.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "You should try it."

"Someday Kate, just not tonight."

"Try it." She said. "Trust me it'll clear your head."

Sean smirked. "Alright." He stood up and walked over to the replicator. "Computer, Hot Chocolate."

"Computer, make sure that's with marshmallows."

Sean thought for a moment, glancing over at Kate, as a small smile formed on his face. He picked up the steaming cup from the replicator and carried back over to the table. He took a sip, not expecting the sugar content to be as high as it was. His smile widened.

"See it's great for clearing your head." Kate said, climbing up to sit on the table, facing the windows.

Sean didn't smile. "Only so much."

"You sure you're okay?" She shrugged. "I mean normally it's you and Commander Turner giving me advice."

"It's just..." Sean let his voice trail off.

"It isn't gonna go away if you don't talk about it?" Kate took a sip from her cup, giving him time to answer.

"I feel... lost." Sean said slowly.

"How so?" Kate turned to face him, crossing her legs as she did.

Sean glanced at her. "I used to look out that window and see finding who destroyed the Pandora." He gesture to the window. "Now I can't see it."

"You feel that you let us down." Kate said.

"Yeah." Sean looked away.

"Don't." She said simply.

He glanced back at her. "The crew is my responsibility."

"We're not..." She paused, searching for the right word. "...we're not disappointed in you. We knew going into this that it wasn't going to be a few weeks of work."

"I know, but we came so close."

"Look at it this way, its more scenic this way."

Sean looked back out the window. "Maybe."

"At the very least, you should get some sleep sir." Kate climbed off the table. "Good night sir."

"Kate." Sean said, turning to look at her before she left. "Thanks."

Kate smiled, and then left the room.


	4. Mx04 Thieves of Virtue

The humming of the ship's warp engines was the only noise, leaving the ready room otherwise silent. Sean sat at his desk, memorizing his revised command code displayed on the computer.

"Captain?"

He looked up from his computer. Crewman Tricia Wales stepped into the room. She held a black uniform bag in her hands. Her cream colored skin and blond hair color were nearly identical, offset only by her green eyes. She wore the yellow uniform of operations personnel and security. "How can I help you crewman?"

She unzipped the bag, pulling out a black jumpsuit folded neatly. "I have our new uniform!" She shook it, allowing it to unfold to its full height.

The jumpsuit was completely black, except for two patches on the arm. Various pockets adorned the uniform. It was functional and looked comfortable. "What is on the patches?" Sean asked, gesturing to the arms.

Tricia showed the right arm of the uniform. The patch contained a top down view of the Guenidier in the upper right corner, its saucer section facing the top of the patch, with a blue background color. A single word was embroidered on bottom of the patch, 'Guenidier.' A red border highlighted the circular patch, making it stand out. "That's the emblem of the ship, though I admit that we borrowed that a bit."

"What about the other patch?"

She flipped the uniform around, showing him the other side. The patch had a blue background, with a violet boarder. It was also circular. A faint outline of the Bridge was embroidered in a slightly darker shade of red. Four silver beads were placed on the top edge in a straight line. "This is the patch for the Bridge personnel, specifically yours."

Tricia held the uniform so the front faced him. "It's designed to be functional. You can put a tricorder in either of these big pockets here, a phaser in the other." She pointed out the two pockets about waist height. "And numerous other pockets for things I can't even think of yet."

"Did you just come up with the design?"

Tricia blushed slightly. "No, I borrowed some of the early Starfleet uniform designs. I thought it might bring us back to our roots. We're not trying to destroy everything Starfleet stands for, right?"

"Exactly."

"We're trying to restore the old values, so I thought we should go back to older uniforms." She shrugged. "Besides, they are more functional."

Sean smiled. "Consider your uniform adopted. You can begin distributing them as soon as possible."

"Thank you sir, but I'm not done."

Sean raised an eyebrow. "What else do you have?"

She reached into the bag and withdrew a camouflage jacket. "These are for away missions where we expect to encounter trouble." The jacket shifted colors slightly to resemble the room it was in. "It uses a special polymer that allows it to mimic its environment. Not perfectly, but close."

She showed him the back. "It has an embedded phaser rifle harness, which should allow us to easily use tricorders, even while we have phaser rifles." She spun the jacket back around. "There are numerous pockets too; each can be used to hold extra energy cells, or anything else that's about that size or smaller."

"Are you going to be distributing these too?"

"No sir." Tricia carefully folded it back up. "They'll be placed in the armories. There are no patches or identification. They are only for away missions."

"Sounds good crewman. Can I keep mine?"

Tricia placed the uniform on the desk. "Of course. We're already ready to distribute them too."

"Was this a small conspiracy crewman?"

"Sorta." She smiled shyly. "Most of the crewmen already know about it, some of them even have them."

Sean laughed. "Congratulations, it's now the uniform of the ship."

Tricia left the room. Sean shut down his computer and grabbed his uniform. He stepped out of his ready room and onto the Bridge. "Status?" He asked as he headed for the turbolift.

"Nothing on scanners." Kate replied. "It's quiet for now."

"Klena, the Bridge is yours." Sean stepped into the turbolift. "Deck 2." The turbolift responded to the voice command immediately. The ride to Deck 2 lasted only a few seconds, depositing him near his quarters.

He walked inside, setting the uniform down on his desk. "Computer, lights." The lighting in the room brightened to a normal level. He changed into his new uniform, stretching to get the feel of it. Already he could feel the difference.

He carefully folded up the old uniform, looking at the red stripe across the shoulders. It had once been a symbol of his position, now it reminded him of the past. Not that he would throw it away; it had been with him for too long. He took the commbadge from it, and placed it on his new uniform.

He walked back out into the hallway and immediately noticed Jason walking by. He had a different patch on his left arm. It was red, with a phaser rifle embroidered on it, a blue border surrounded it. Jason nodded at Sean before continuing on his way.

Sean shook his head; it appeared that Tricia had already spread her uniform around the ship. He headed for the turbolift, taking the time to notice the patches on other crewmen as he walked down the hall. Each patch was unique to that crewman's position on the ship.

He glanced at his watch as he entered the turbolift. He still had a few minutes before the senior officers meeting in the briefing room. "Bridge." The turbolift zoomed up and stopped, opening to reveal the Bridge before him.

He crossed the empty Bridge, heading for the briefing room. There weren't enough personnel to cover for the Bridge officers during a meeting. The computer remained in control of the ship. It was programmed to alert them of any sensor contacts.

All of the senior officers wore their new uniforms. Sean took his seat at the center of the table, counting heads quickly. Everyone was present, with Klena, Mark, and Erica sitting on his right, and Kate and Nathan on his left.

He looked at Nathan. "Would you like to talk to us about your ideas for rearming the ship?"

Nathan nodded. "Yes sir." He stood up and walked over to the wall mounted console behind Mark. He accessed his personal directory and displayed the plans for the new weapons systems. "Between Commander Turner and myself, we're looking at a decommissioning yard raid to acquire phaser parts and an additional warp core to power them."

He pointed out the two cannon mounts underneath the saucer section in the model. "I'm also proposing that we construct two phaser cannons. We'll need to modify the parts from existing phaser arrays to create the cannons. In addition to that we'll have to remove several of the living quarters on Deck 8."

He turned back to face Sean. "The yards are generally defended by sentry guns and the station itself."

Mark stood up. "The warp core modification will necessitate a complete rebuild of the warp core chamber in engineering. We have to place two cores in there and operate them simultaneously for this to work." He accessed a small diagram from the console. "My plan is to have each core provide primary power to one side of the ship and one warp nacelle each. They will still be interconnected. Should anything happen to one, we will still be able to use the other to power the ship's essential systems."

Mark took a deep breath. "Both cores will be placed side by side, and the current warp core area will be modified to contain several consoles that would be inaccessible otherwise. The core ejection system is also going to have to be modified to allow selective or simultaneous ejection of the cores. It has always bothered me that our ships have no redundancy for warp power. This system will leave us with a backup core should something go wrong with the other. I'm somewhat sorry to say that it won't resemble the original Starfleet engine room, and it'll take some getting used to, but it will give us twice the power."

"Is this even possible?" Kate asked. "I've never heard of two warp cores powering a ship before."

"It's simply a matter of proper design and execution" Mark said. "It's been considered before, but never attempted. Starfleet has the resources to create a new warp core in place of the old one. We don't."

Nathan accessed a star chart with a single highlighted region. "Our target is the Illidian 4 Decommissioning Yard. It is just outside the border of Klingon space. It's not a high priority depot, and it's far enough away from any Starbases so it will take awhile before Starfleet reinforcements arrive."

Sean glanced around the table. "We need those weapons. This is now our primary objective."

"Our second order of business is supplies." He said. "We need to gather what we can before we work our way out of Federation space. Are there any ideas?"

"There are a number of small Federation cargo depots in this region." Klena said. "They were originally placed here during the hostilities between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. They were recently restocked during the Dominion War, leaving the supplies in them still fresh, though guarded."

"We're also in the middle of a large trading area." Erica added. "A freighter convoy carrying basic supplies would be an easy target to raid, and probably result in the fewest casualties too."

"We'd be stealing from civilians though." Mark said. "We can't do that."

"True," Erica replied, "though it wouldn't be their supplies, just the cargo."

"We have to adhere to our morals." Sean said, looking everyone in the eye. "Are there any alternat…"

"Alert." The computer interrupted. "Distress call detected at 0955 hours. Bearing 090 Mark 322."

"Computer, source?" Sean asked.

"A convoy, unknown composition at this range."

"We've got to help them." Kate said.

"Convoys in this region of space are under the protection of Starfleet." Klena said. "It is likely that aiding this convoy will put us in danger."

"What if there are no Federation starships anywhere in the sector?" Kate replied quickly.

"We need to make a name for ourselves." Mark said before Klena could reply to Kate. "Right now we left Starfleet as traitors. That's no doubt spread through the quadrant. But if we show that we're not just bandits, then maybe we can make a reputation for ourselves."

"I agree with Commander Turner." Nathan said. "We can't avoid everything, otherwise the odds will catch up to us, and there will be no friends for us to turn to."

"Then it's settled." Sean said. "Erica, plot us a course for the convoy. Dismissed."

Sean stood up and followed everyone out. Mark headed for the turbolift while everyone else took their stations. He took his seat. "Red Alert, all hands to battle stations."

The ship alarms wailed and the Bridge lighting dimmed. He watched the forward viewport. "Any signs of Federation activity?"

"No." Kate said. "I've got a better look at the convoy though. They are a group of fourteen Bajoran heavy transports. There's no escort, but they're being attacked by a Cardassian Galor and two Maquis raiders."

"Most likely pirates flying those ships." Nathan said. "The Galor is our biggest threat."

"Erica, adjust our course so that we face the Galor when we come out of warp. Sean glanced back at Nathan. "Fire phasers and photon torpedoes at will. We'll only have a second to deal with it."

Nathan looked down at his controls. "Forward torpedo tubes are loaded, phasers are charged. Shields are online."

"We're dropping from warp." Erica announced.

The Galor cruiser was at the head of the convoy, firing its weapons into the lead ship. The two raiders were further down the convoy, disabling engines. Sean glanced back at Nathan. "We're not going to get another chance at this."

Nathan nodded. "Firing phasers and photon torpedoes."

Four torpedoes launched from the Guenidier's torpedo tubes and streaked across space. Less than a half a second later, the two forward phaser banks fired. Phaser beams impacted the Galor's shields. The torpedoes slammed home, punching through the shields and impacting the cruiser's hull.

The entire rear section of the ship blew off, leaving the front end tumbling. Momentary guilt hit Sean. As a Starfleet captain he had been trained to look for a non-violent solution. But the guilt was only momentary. The pirates had been attacking a civilian convoy; they had gotten what they deserved.

"Target the Raiders; bring us between them and the convoy."

"No need Captain." Kate announced. "They're turning to engage us."

The ship shook slightly as the forward phasers on the raiders impacted the Guenidier's shields. "Minimal damage to our shields." Nathan reported.

"Target the lead raider's engines." Sean said, watching as the ship arched away from his ship.

"Firing port phaser arrays." Nathan said. Phaser beams punched through the shields of the Raider. A second set of beams ripped the engines off the small ship. "They're disabled."

"Target the second Raider."

"No need to." Kate said. "They've just gone to warp."

"What's the status of the convoy?" Sean asked, coming to his feet.

"The lead three ships are heavily damaged." Kate said, looking down at her console. "I'm reading atmosphere and debris venting into space from their cargo bays. The other ships have suffered minor damage, mainly to their warp engines."

"Can we hail the lead ship?" Sean glanced at Kate.

"There's a lot of comm traffic between the fleet, give me a second to clean it up." She looked down at her console. "Wait... they're hailing us."

Sean shrugged. "Let's hear it."

There was a burst of static as the viewscreen switched to display a view of the Bridge of the Bajoran freighter. A single older Bajoran man could be seen. He looked ragged, his face bloody from numerous small wounds.

"I am Captain Tolena Landis, leader of this convoy."

"I am Captain Sean Cunningham of the Guenidier. Do you require assistance?"

"I do not know what trickery you are attempting, but it will not work." Captain Tolena wiped at some of the blood on his face.

Sean glanced over at Klena. "Trickery?"

"Assuming that Commander Turner was correct in his assumption that Starfleet has branded us traitors," Klena said, "it would be conceivable that word has spread of our 'deeds.'"

"Right." He took a deep breath. "Captain Tolena. I understand that you have no reason to trust us, but we are not pirates. Why else would we answer your distress call and risk our ship to save your convoy?"

"Perhaps you are simply trying to exploit our vulnerable position?" Tolena's eyes narrowed.

"Captain, at this point, none of your ships have shields." Sean slowly walked back and forth in front of his chair. "This ship possesses transporters capable of taking anything we want. I have no desire to steal from you." Sean stopped pacing and looked Captain Tolena in the eye. "Perhaps we could make a gesture of good faith?"

"Lower your shields and power down your weapons."

Sean glanced at Nathan. "Do it. Stand down to condition green." The lighting on the bridge returned to normal. "Captain Tolena. Our shields are down and our weapons are offline."

Captain Tolena blinked. "Please, we have many casualties throughout the convoy. We do not have the medical supplies to treat them."

"Transmit their coordinates and we'll beam them to our sickbay. You're welcome to come too."

"I've received the coordinates." Kate said. "I'm beaming them directly to sickbay in groups."

"Keep an eye out for Starfleet vessels." Sean turned to face Captain Tolena again. "We've begun transporting them to our sickbay, will you be joining them?"

"Not immediately, I must see to the repairs of my ship."

"We can transport over some supplies and a repair team."

Captain Tolena hesitated. "I'm not sure..."

"They'll be unarmed," Sean said, "as a gesture of good faith."

"Very well, that is acceptable."

Sean tapped his commbadge. "Mark, assemble a team for transport to the Bajoran convoy ships."

"We'll be over there in five minutes." Mark replied. "Phasers?"  
"No." Sean replied. "Remain unarmed."

"Alright."

He glanced back at Kate. "Kate, meet Mark in the transporter room. They'll need all the help they can get."

Kate nodded.

He turned back to Erica. "Erica, maintain transport distance at all times."

"Yes sir." She replied.

"Klena, the Bridge is yours. I'm going to check on the Bajorans in sickbay."

She nodded as he entered the turbolift. "Sickbay." He waited patiently as the turbolift descended into the ship, stopping several seconds later. He walked briskly down the corridor to sickbay. The magnitude of the emergency hit him when he spotted the patients in the hall.

He sat down on his knees next to them, checking for a pulse. It was strong. The man was a graying Bajoran man, with mild burns. He stood back up, carefully stepping into sickbay.

"Excuse me Captain." Lshan said, nearly knocking him over as she carried a cart full of hyposprays to the surgical ward.

There were wounded Bajorans on every biobed and even more on the floor. The EMH was working in the main surgical unit. Sean watched his step as he walked to the Doctor. "How are they?" He asked.

"Most of them have only first or second degree burns. However, this Bajoran has third degree plasma burns." The Doctor pulled a hypospray from the tray.

Sean stepped back, letting the doctor work.

Lshan looked over the patients vital signs. The Bajoran woman looked like she should've been dead. Her face was bloody, her entire left arm was burned, and her ceremonial Bajoran earpiece was burned beyond recognition, along with that entire side of her face. "Doctor, we're losing her."

"Not yet." The EMH replied stubbornly, even though he made no mention of it. "Get me 20ccs of Kelotane for the burns."

Lshan filled the hypospray then handed it to the EMH, who promptly administered it. He ran his tricorder over the Bajoran again. "Her heart is failing. Prepare 5ccs of Netinaline."

The biofunction monitor flat lined, a solid tone replacing the normal beeping. The EMH administered the drug instantly. He waited a second for the drug to enter the Bajoran's system. "No sign of revival… Cortical stimulator!"

Lshan pressed the small device to the patient's head; she then stepped back to the medical console. There was a whine, and then the Bajoran's whole body whipped from the electric pulse.

The EMH scanned the body with a tricorder. "Again!"

There was another sharp whine. The Bajoran's body whipped again. The doctor scanned a final time. "She's dead." He pulled the sheet over the Bajoran's head. "Move on to the next one."

Lshan took a deep breath, and then followed the Doctor's orders. Sean looked down to see a Bajoran at his feet rolled over off his cot. Sean carefully placed him back on his cot, being careful not to cause anymore harm.

Sean quietly left sickbay. He tapped his commbadge. "Klena, is that all of the wounded?"

"No." She replied. "Crewman Lshan has directed me to set up a triage facility in the mess hall."

"Do it, I'll be there." He took a deep breath. "Computer, put me on ship wide audio."

There was a beep.

"I need all available crew members who are not busy, to come to the mess hall and assist with the triage." He headed for the turbolift and took it to Deck 2.

As soon as he stepped out he was swept up into the traffic as crewmen headed for the mess hall. He entered and took an emergency med kit from the desk, moving to help the nearest Bajoran. He was a very young man, maybe twenty years old. A small head wound dripped blood down the side of his face.

He gently checked for a pulse. The man stirred as he felt Sean's cold fingers. "Hold on." Sean said softly, reaching into the medical pouch and drawing a dermal regenerator. He thumbed the activated button along the side and gently passed it along the wound.

Once the wound had closed, Sean withdrew the medical tricorder from the kit. He glanced around the bay momentarily. Everywhere Bajorans were being placed on cots and examined by crewmen who could do little but treat minor injuries.

It was all they had though. Sean finished his scan. The man would live. He stood up, heading for the next Bajoran when he was stopped by Captain Tolena. "Where is Karah?"

Sean handed his kit to a crewman as they passed by. He gently pushed Tolena out of the Mess Hall. "Who?"

"My first officer. She was the most badly burned." Tolena glanced back at the Mess Hall.

"I think I saw her." Sean replied. "If I'm correct... she didn't make it."

Tolena pounded his fist against the nearest wall, tears streaming unabated down the man's cheek. "No! By the Prophets no!"

"I'm sorry." Sean replied. "Our doctor did everything he could. I'll take you to see her in a bit, right now there's very little room in Sickbay."

Tolena nodded. "I understand." He slumped down to sit against the wall. "It is the will of the prophets..." The man's eyes closed in unrestrained agony.

Sean stepped back from Tolena, giving him the space to grieve. He tapped his commbadge. "Mark, status report?"

"This freighter is a mess." Mark replied. "They've completely lost atmosphere in their engineering room. Right now Crewman Scott and I are using environmental suits to repair the damage."

"Keep me posted." Sean replied.

"Will do."

Sean turned back to Tolena. He offered him a hand. "She was important to you?"

Tolena took it, pulling himself back to his feet. "She was soon to be my wife." The man stifled his tears with a deep breath. "But now my responsibility is to my convoy."

"My engineers are working to restore your engines." Sean said. "But we only have a skeleton crew."

Tolena glanced up. "Why do you only have a skeleton crew?"

"We are the crew of the former USS Guenidier. That was a Sabre class ship." Sean shrugged. "We commandeered this ship because it was unmanned. However, it's meant for 150 personnel."

Tolena took a deep breath. "Would it be possible to see...Karah now?"

Sean looked away for a moment. "Alright." He said softly, "Just watch your step." Sean led Tolena to the turbolift and down to Sickbay. There were now two crewmen helping with the injured in the halls.

"Thank you for all your help." Tolena said. "I am forever in your debt."

"It's no debt." Sean said, stepping into sickbay. "It's our job."

"But you are not of Starfleet anymore."  
"No." Sean walked to the surgical unit. "But we do hold Starfleet's morals close." He gestured to the covered body in the surgical unit. "I think this is her..." Sean let his voice trail off, taking a step back so Tolena could pull the cover back.

The Bajoran froze as soon as he pulled the cover back. Sean closed his eyes in respect, letting the man grieve with renewed ferocity. Sean had never lost a significant other, but that was mainly from a lack of them to begin with. The life of a starship captain left little time for that.

He opened his eyes, finding the Bajoran man on his knees. He was muttering in Bajoran, his eyes held shut. His hand clutched the dead woman's hand. Sean respectfully lowered his head. He quietly walked outside the surgical unit.

"Ah, Captain." The EMH said as he walked by. "I have managed to stabilize all of the critical patients."

"How long do you need to treat them all?"

"We're moving non-critical patients to the mess hall."

"Good, I don't want to stay here for much more than a couple of hours." Sean interrupted.

"I need at least a day." The EMH replied.

"Doctor, you've got four hours tops." Sean silenced the EMH. "That convoy is still sending out a distress call. I do not want to be here when a Federation starship shows up. With our reputation in Starfleet they'd fire first and ask questions later."

The EMH nodded. "I'll make sure all the patients are stabilized and mobile. The Bajorans should be able to handle it from there."

"Good." Sean walked back out of sickbay. It was going to be a long four hours.

XXX

Mark reached down to his feet and disabled the magnetic locks on his environmental suit's boots. Using the console in front of the warp core as an anchor, he spun himself upside down so that he could look at the underside of the panel.

The first priority was to get the environmental systems back online. There was a short somewhere in the console that was making it impossible to get them working. "William, give the console a little power, I need to see what is creating the short."

A small shower of sparks exploded from one of the isolinear chips embedded in the console. "Alright, turn it off!" Mark said, reaching in to grasp it with his gloved hand. The isolinear chip came free, giving him a good look at the damaged component.

The contacts on the side of the chip were blackened, useless. "Kate, do the Bajorans have spare isolinear chips?"

"No." She replied, from the control room outside. "The entire repair parts stockpile was blasted into space when the cargo bay depressurized."

"Guenidier, we need an isolinear chip programming kit beamed over to my location."

"Stand by." Klena replied over the comm system.

The kit beamed in right below Mark. "Thanks Commander." He popped the seals on the kit and withdrew the isolinear chip programming tool. It was a small narrow device, with a single sharp end. Mark held the spare isolinear chip with one hand and the tool with the other.

He reached up into the console and carefully scanned the contacts in the console. The device read their configuration and displayed it on a small display built into the handle. He carefully traced the active circuit paths on the chip, lining them up so the chip would function properly.

He carefully slid it back into position. "Okay, give me a 2 power test run." Mark waited patiently for more sparks to fly from the console. There were none. "Okay, bring it up to 50 power." Again there was no sparks. "Full power."

"Alright!" William said gleefully. "The connection to the backups is no longer severed."

"They don't make freighters like they used to." Mark muttered. He orientated himself so that his feet were on the floor. The magnetic locks automatically engaged. "Can we bring atmosphere and gravity online?"

William looked down at the Bajoran console. "We've got power, but it's in Bajoran, so I need a Bajoran to activate the system."

"I've got their night shift engineer outside." Kate replied. "He's coming in."

"Alright." Mark replied. He turned around. The Bajoran engineer was in a massive environmental suit. There was no way that he could've worked in the engineering section in that. It restricted his movements to little more than moving his fingers. Even then, the stubby gloves would prevent him from touching anything small.

"Over here sir." William said. "The console just needs you to activate the system."

"Thank you." The Bajoran said. He hobbled over to the console and activated the system.

Mark felt his magnetic boots disengage as the gravity systems came online. He glanced down at his tricorder. "Oxygen levels are rising."

"Emergency bulkheads have sealed the breaches in everything except the cargo bay." Kate replied. "I've blocked the environmental systems from trying to fill the bay."

"Good work Kate." Mark replied. "Let's try to get that warp core back online."

XXX

Sean sat down at the head of the briefing room table. "What's the status of the convoy?"

"We've managed to repair the warp engines on all of the ships except the lead one." Mark replied. "I don't believe it's possible though. There is simply too much damage."

"All the other ships are warp capable though?"

"Yes." Mark shrugged. "They'll make it."

"Lshan, how are we doing with the Bajoran wounded?"

Crewman Lshan sat in the normally empty seat at the end of the table. "All of the wounded are stabilized. We've turned them back over to the Bajoran medics."

"Then it's safe to go." Sean said, looking at each of them. "There's no doubt that a Starfleet vessel should be on its way here."

"Have you informed Captain Tolena?" Kate asked.

"That's what we're going to do now." Sean said. "Computer, hail the Bajoran convoy leader."

The display on the wall replaced to show a small view of Captain Tolena. "Captain, I must thank you for everything you've done."

"It was no problem Captain." Sean said. "However, the Guenidier needs to leave."

"I understand." Tolena hesitated. "May I ask one more favor of you Captain?"

Sean nodded. "We're listening."

"Two weeks ago another Bajoran convoy discovered the Pirates' base of operations." Captain Tolena's image was replaced by a diagram of an asteroid field. "They were making a detour through Asteroid Field Cluster 1456-B to avoid interfering with a Frengi trade conference in a nearby system."

Tolena's image returned. "In that asteroid field cluster they detected a large cargo station embedded in an asteroid. They were not able to take any detailed scans because they were attacked. We asked Starfleet to deal with the pirates, but we were ignored."

"And you'd want us to destroy it?" Nathan asked.

"Not exactly." Tolena paused. "The Pirates use their base primarily for storage. The only defenses that the convoy detected were the ships that attacked them."

"What attacked them?" Nathan asked.

"They were attacked by two Cardassian Galor class cruisers and four Maquis Raiders."

"Could we take them all on alone?" Sean asked Nathan.

"Not unless they came at us one at a time." Nathan leaned back. "We could take all four Raiders on without any problem; it's the two Galors that worry me."

"We would be willing to help in any way we can." Tolena said.

"Thank you for the offer Captain, but your freighters would be of little help." Sean said. "What about the asteroids?"

"It is possible to once again create a screen using the asteroids themselves for cover." Klena said. "However, that is a defensive tactic. We are in an offensive situation."

"What about luring a couple of them off?" Kate asked. "We can handle some of them."

"They're not going to be fooled by an Interpid class starship." Nathan said. "But they would be fooled by the freighters."

"What do you have in mind?" Sean asked.

"Use the freighters as bait." Nathan said.

"That would put the civilians at unnecessary risk." Klena said. "We could not protect them if they were a distraction."

"Unless we hide with the freighters." Sean said, a smile coming to his face. "If we stay on the opposite side of the convoy, then we can avoid being detected until the Pirates have been lured in. Kate, that's possible right?"

"In theory." She replied. "The sensors would detect the convoy, and as long as the convoy stayed close enough together, then a ship on the far side of it would be invisible."

"That way we can protect the convoy, while using them as bait." Erica said. "We come out from under the convoy with our phasers firing."

"Would you be willing to do that Captain?" Sean asked Tolena.

"Yes." Captain Tolena replied. "We would be willing to do our part in that plan."

"Tell your ships to form up and signal us when you are ready." Sean said. "Dismissed." He walked back onto the Bridge. He took his seat. "Erica, set a course and prepare for warp speed."

She nodded, coming to her station. "Aye sir."

"All hands to battle stations."

"They're hailing." Kate said.

"On screen."

"Captain, the convoy is ready to jump. We're linking our warp drives to your navigation control."

Sean took a deep breath. "Erica, engage."

"Initiating warp jump... now!"

Sean felt a slight tremor run through the ship, just enough to let him know they were at warp. He waited patiently. The only sound on the bridge was the beeping of consoles as Erica watched their course in warp.

"We're entering asteroid field cluster 1456-B." Erica announced. "Dropping from warp."

"I'm receiving sensor data from the convoy." Nathan said. "We made the right assumption. Two Cardassian Galors without ID transponders are closing with the convoy. Four Raiders are holding position near the base. Thirty seconds till weapons range."

"Kate, instruct the convoy to hold their positions." He turned back to Erica. "Prepare to take us down and under the convoy ships. Line us up with the lead Galor. Nathan, fire photon torpedoes as soon as you are in range. Phasers at will."

"Yes sir." Nathan replied.

"The ships are in weapons range of the convoy." Kate said after a moment of silence. "They're sending out a transmission."

"We already know what it is." Sean said. "Erica, now!"

The Guenidier came out from under the convoy. It immediately opened fire, catching the lead Galor unprepared with a phaser strike. The convoy's phasers lashed out, hitting both Galors.

"We're coming about." Erica announced.

"Firing torpedoes!" Nathan said. Four torpedoes streaked from the torpedo tubes and smashed into the lead Galor. The first two impacted shields, the second two torpedoes passed through where the shields had been and slammed into the bridge. The entire section of the ship exploded, splitting the ship into two pieces. "The lead Galor cruiser has been destroyed."

"The second ship is firing!" Kate yelled, just as the first torpedo and phaser strikes impacted the Guenidier. The Bridge shook from the impact, alarm sirens wailing as reports of damage came in.

"Shields took the brunt of the attack." Nathan said. "Firing rear torpedoes and phasers." Two torpedoes launched from the back the Guenidier, slamming into the Galor cruiser's shields. The phasers slammed into the already weakened shields, breaking through after only a second of resistance. They dug deep holes into the cruiser's forward torpedo launcher.

"Sweep through phaser arcs." Sean ordered. "Keep our strong shields towards them!"  
"Firing port phasers." Nathan reported as the Guenidier slowly turned, its phasers ripping through the already weakened hull plating of the Galor.

"They're firing!" Kate said, just as another torpedo slammed into the Guenidier's shields. "Shields are at 30."

"Firing forward phasers." Nathan said. The final phaser strikes slammed into the Bridge of the cruiser, leaving the ship without a command center. "Firing starboard phaser banks." The Guenidier's phasers tore through the narrow section of the ship connecting the front with the warp drive in the back. It broke into two separate chunks.

"The Raiders will be upon us in five seconds!" Kate yelled from her station.

"Erica, evasive." Sean ordered. "Nathan, fire on all of them at once."

"Coordinating fire from all targeting systems." Nathan announced. The Guenidier pitched in space, zooming away at full impulse as the Raiders swooped in. The Guenidier's ventral phaser array fired, catching the lead Raider in the forward shields.

"Their shields are stronger than the two Raiders we fought with the convoy." Kate said. "These look like they've been updated."

"Target the lead ship." Sean said. "Erica, bring us about. Nathan, fire all forward phaser banks on that target."

"Firing phasers." Nathan said as the Guenidier turned to face the attacking Raiders. Two arcs of phaser energy shot forward, catching the lead Raider in between them. The Lead Raider's shields failed as the Guenidier flew by. The ventral phaser array fired. Explosions tore through the small ship, splitting it into multiple pieces.

"Shields are at 20!" Kate announced.

"I have the second Raider targeted." Nathan announced. "They are heading for the convoy."

"Let's beat them to it." Sean said. "Fire all phasers."

Four phaser beams arced out, catching the second Raider astern and ripping through the weak rear shields. The beams cut through the engine casing, spilling warp plasma into space. The warp plasma ignited, leaving a blinding flash of light as the Raider exploded.

"Target the last one." Sean said. "Fire again."

"The convoy is firing." Kate said. A burst of orange phaser fire came from the convoy, slamming into the third raider. It immediately changed course to leave the field. Another volley came from the convoy, this time blasting off one of the wing mounted guns on the Raider.

"Firing forward phasers." Nathan said. The last Raider broke off, heading out of the asteroid field. "They're retreating."

"Follow them, target impulse engines."

"Too late." Nathan said. "They've gone to warp."

Sean stood up. "Hail the station."

"No response." Kate said. "Maybe they don't want to talk?"

"It is merely a storage depot." Klena said, coming to her feet as well. "Perhaps there is no crew to man it."

"She's right." Kate said, looking behind her at the sensor displays. "There are no life signs on the station."

Sean looked at the view screen. The station was built into the asteroid, leaving very little exposed surface available to see. "Is it possible the composition of the rock is interfering with our scans?"

"No." Kate said. "I have a clear definition of the entire station. It's abandoned." She projected the image onto the view screen. "This is an analysis of the inside of the station. There is no command center, just a bunch of very large cargo bays."

He glanced at Nathan. "Assemble a team and go over there. Be on your guard."

"Captain Tolena is hailing us." Kate said.

"On screen."

Captain Tolena smiled as he appeared on the view screen. "Captain Cunningham, I cannot thank you enough. I doubt these pirates will attack anyone again, thanks to your efforts."

"We're glad we could be of assistance." Sean replied. "I am sending a team over to the station to secure anything of value, would you like to send a team over as well?"

"Thank you Captain. Alert your people that I will be sending a team over to retrieve any Bajoran valuables. Keep any supplies that you find."

"We will." Sean looked around at the bridge staff. "I'd call that a successful mission. Good work."

XXX

Sean sat down at the head of the briefing table. He looked over at the wall mounted display. Captain Tolena appeared on it from the Bridge of his ship. "Captain Tolena, we wish you a safe journey."

"May the prophets watch over you and your crew." Captain Tolena replied. "You will always have friends among the Bajoran Ministry of Commerce. I will assure you of that." Tolena's image disappeared, leaving a blank display where he had once been.

Sean turned back to his crew. "What do our supplies look like?"

"We exhausted a good portion of our medical supplies helping the Bajorans." Klena said. "However, most of them can be replicated. We did also recover a sizable quantity of deuterium from the Pirate station."

"We're down ten more torpedoes." Nathan said.

"I used up a bit of our repair supplies fixing the Bajorans' engines." Mark said. "But we more than doubled our stockpile from the Pirate station."

"I assume we didn't get any phaser parts." Sean said, glancing at Nathan.

"No." Nathan said. "The Pirates had mainly loot from their various raids."

"Alright, dismissed." Sean said. He walked back out onto the Bridge, waiting for everyone to get back to their stations. He glanced out at the forward view screen. "Erica, set a course for Illidan 4 and engage." He sat down in his chair.

XXX

"Captain, do you have a moment?" Klena asked, from the doorway to Sean's ready room.

"Sure Klena." Sean said, looking down from the datapad in his hands. "What's on your mind?"

"I believe we need to discuss our use of supplies." Klena said, coming to stand right in front of Sean's desk.

"We have a problem?" Sean asked, narrowing his eyes. "I thought we just picked up plenty."

"I was referring to our use in helping the Bajorans." Klena said.

"Are you saying you we should not help when we can?"

"No."

"Then what are you saying?" Sean gestured for her to take a seat.

Klena sat and was silent for a moment. "There are no Starbases for us to resupply at. The only way to obtain more supplies is to steal them. The resource is not reliable."

Sean put his hand to his forehead. "Klena, you're thinking logically, and I respect that." He sighed. "However, we are alone out here. We need every friend we can get."

"There are other ways to acquire friends."

"I know." Sean stood up, walking to the window of his ready room. He looked back at her. "Logically Klena, what was the correct decision today? Speak freely."

"Logically, we should have left the convoy alone." Klena said, her blue eyes meeting his. "That way we would conserve our already limited supplies."

"You need to look at it different Klena." Sean said. He leaned against the window. "Right now we have more supplies than when we started. Logically, that makes helping the Bajorans the correct decision. We also have a friend who is associated with the Bajoran Ministry of Commerce."

"In hindsight that is correct Captain." Klena said. "However, you cannot use knowledge of what will happen to predict a logical outcome. I believe it is what humans call, luck."

Sean smiled. "Exactly Klena. It was luck. But even if we had used our supplies to help the Bajorans, but not attacked the Pirate base, we would still have Captain Tolena as an ally. That's a resource."

"We would be ill-prepared to leave Federation space in that condition." She said.

Sean slouched onto the couch. "Look around you Klena. This ship is operating with a skeleton crew." He sat back up. "Sooner or later, we're going to need a full crew. We won't be able to replicate new crew members."

"That is correct Captain."

Sean sighed. "Today I was lucky Klena." He stood back up. "You're my conscience about this though."

Klena stood back up, raising an eyebrow. "I am simply raising a logical argument."

"But you make sure I ask the question 'was it worth it?'" He took a deep breath.

"And was today worth it Captain?" Klena asked.

Sean smiled. "Today it was worth it; tomorrow we may not be so lucky."


	5. Mx05 Steal From The Rich

Sean closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Outside the ship, the stars streaked by, the tell tale signs the ship was at warp. It was nothing new. There was no home, no place to turn to, no place to run except to the unknown.

He turned and sat back down at his desk. The computer displayed a tactical map of the Neutral Zone. A small bar of yellow was the sole boundary between Klingon and Romulan space. It was the only path to the Beta Quadrant available.

Klena stepped through the door to the ready room. "Captain, we're almost to the Illidan 4 system."

Sean looked up from the tactical map. "Thanks Klena." He shut the computer off and walked back out onto the Bridge. "Kate, any place we could get a good sensor reading on the repair yard without attracting too much attention?"

"There's an asteroid field near the fourth planet of the system." She said. "We're approaching from beyond the field so we'll stay undetected."

"I've altered course." Erica announced. "Dropping out of warp."

The ship shuddered. The stars stopped moving and were replaced by a dense field of asteroids. Sean took his seat. "Any sign they detected us?"

Kate glanced down at her console. "I'm not reading any increase in comm traffic. No encrypted messages. There's heavy EM interference from the asteroid field, they're being blinded by it. A freighter is at low warp at the edge of the sector."

"ETA till the freighter gets here?" Sean asked.

"Six hours." Kate said.

"We can't scan the yard." Nathan said. "We'll need to move through the field."

"Erica, analysis?" Sean asked.

Erica displayed a small map of the asteroid field on the view screen. "There are a lot of asteroids there, but I think I can navigate it if we fly only slightly off parallel to the asteroid drift."

"That'll also help us look more like an asteroid." Kate added. "We'll need to get at least three-quarters of the way through that field before I can accurately scan the yard."

Sean nodded. "Shields up." He looked down at Erica. "Take us in, slow and steady."

"Alright, here goes." Erica said slowly and quietly. "I'm bringing us parallel to the field." The Guenidier slowly inched forward. "Setting course into the field."

The ship shuddered. "Shields are suffering minor damage from asteroid impacts." Nathan said.

"Don't worry, I've got it." Erica said. Her eyes were fixed on the console before her. "We're almost halfway."

The ship shocked violently as a larger asteroid slammed into the shields. "That was a big one!" Sean said.

"Shields down twenty percent." Nathan announced.

"We're there." Erica said. "Holding position just shy of the edge of the field."

"Shields are holding." Nathan said.

"I'm getting a scan of the yard." Kate said, displaying her findings on the view screen. "There's a very small pulse phaser grid, along with a sensor alarm net just along the boarder of the field." She paused for a second. "There's also a type 7 defense platform."

"What about the ships?" Sean asked.

"There's a galaxy class and two excelsior class starships in the middle of the dock area. The outer dock area has two more excelsior starships. There also is a steamrunner class starship currently in the decommissioning dock."

"Okay." Sean said. "Erica, bring us back through the field."

Erica nodded. "Setting reverse course." The Guenidier slowly began moving.

The ship shuddered again. "Shields are down another five percent." Nathan said.

"It's fine." Erica muttered. "We're clear of the field."

"Stand down." Sean said, coming back to his feet. Sean tapped his commbadge. "Mark, come to the briefing room."

"I'll be up in a minute." Mark replied.

"Set the ship on autopilot." Sean said, glancing at Erica. "We need to come up with a plan."

XXX

Sean took his seat after Mark arrived. The sensor data on the yard was displayed on the wall mounted console. Mark took the seat nearest the display on the right side of Sean.

"That's a problem" Mark said, pointing to the display. "Those ships don't have warp cores we can use."

"Is there any other way to power the cannons?" Sean asked.

"Batteries?" Kate suggested with a shrug.

Mark narrowed his eyes. "No, we'd need something stronger. There's only one possible solution that I see, and I don't exactly like it." He took a deep breath. "We could use a pair of high yield capacitors. The only problem being that we could only fire the cannons once."

"Once?" Erica asked.

"Once per battle." Mark said. "We use our own auxiliary stores of energy during battle as it is. They recharge while we're not fighting. We can easily tie in the additional capacitors to the system, but it would still take a sizable amount of time to charge the cannons."

"I assume this wouldn't affect their power?" Sean said.

"No." Mark replied. "The energy output of the cannons would remain at full strength."

"Do we have these parts available?" Klena asked.

"Capacitors are relatively simple devices." Mark said. "The parts can be replicated."

"At this point, what do you suggest Mark?" Sean asked.

Mark sighed. "For now, there's no better solution, I can make it work."

"That leaves us with the defense station."

"The station has 16 Type 12 phaser arrays," Nathan said, "along with an additional 8 photon quantum torpedo launchers."

"That's a lot of firepower." Erica said. "Are there any weak points?"

"The station was designed to fight alone. Its weapons are placed to provide overlapping fields of fire in all directions. It has a crew compliment of twenty, split evenly between two shifts."

"What about internal defenses?" Sean asked.

"Even with it being a defense station, its internal defenses are relatively weak. The station relies principally on its shields to keep invaders out."

"How are we supposed to neutralize it then?" Kate asked. "It sounds like we've got a Kobyashi Maru here."

"There is a freighter on a course into the system." Klena said slowly. "Perhaps it can be used to our advantage?"

"Are you suggesting we capture it?" Mark asked a hint of caution in his voice.

"No." Klena met his gaze. "However, the freighter does add a variable."

"Can we use it for cover?" Erica asked. "Hide in its warp trail?"

"Not the Guenidier..." Nathan's voice trailed off. "...but it would be possible for a pair of shuttles to sneak in behind them."

"What do you have in mind?" Sean asked, leaning forward slightly.

"We'd end up using much the same tactic we used to sneak back into Starfleet Command. Warp in at high speed and minimal power to avoid detection. Ride the warp exhaust of the freighter until we reach the station. When it drops its shields..."

"Would the shuttles have enough firepower to disable the station?" Erica asked.

"No." Nathan narrowed his eyebrows. "But they would have enough time to beam over an assault team. Given the stations relatively weak internal defenses, they could feasibly take control."

"What about the freighter?" Sean asked.

"Generally freighters will beam over the supplies with their cargo transporters and then depart. The shuttles would be able to stay behind the freighter."

"You sure?" Sean asked. "Once the freighter moves away from the station, the shuttles will be between the two."

"I think I've got an idea on that." Mark said. "As the freighter is transporting its cargo the shuttles should move in under the station's shields. They'll stay undetected there."

"How long are you going to need Nathan?"

"After the freighter leaves, give us twenty minutes to secure the station. If it takes longer than that..." Nathan let his voice trail off. "The next phase should involve us removing the sensor net?"

"How many sensors are we talking about?" Klena asked.

"There's a network of six key satellites and another eighteen auxiliary satellites. The key satellites are different, only in that they have an extra comm node on them."

"Do we have to destroy them all?" Sean asked.

"No, only the key satellites. I can configure the ship's computer to target them. Once they are destroyed, the entire sensor net will be off line."

"Without either of those systems, Starfleet will remain unaware for at least several hours." Nathan said. "That leaves us with our final task."  
"Which ship would make the best candidate Mark?" Sean asked.

Mark frowned. "The excelsior class ships are by far the most modular on the inside, however, their technology is completely outdated, even with the Dominion War upgrades. I think the best ship would be the Galaxy class."

"How long are you going to need?"

"My team should be able to get the phaser components within two hours. I'll make sure we check the deuterium storage tanks before we leave."

"Good idea. We're going to need that." Sean looked around the table. "Do we have a plan?"

Nathan nodded. "I believe we do."

Sean glanced around the table once again. "Alright, let's do it." He stood up, and followed everyone out. Nathan and Mark took the turbolift near ops off the Bridge. Sean took his seat. "Klena, cover tactical. Battle stations."

XXX

Nathan pulled the camouflage jacket over his shoulders. It fit snugly, almost perfectly with the black jumpsuit. He carefully mounted the phaser rifle in the holster along his back.

"Crewman Wales sure did a good job with these." Jason said from behind him. "I can actually use my hands with a phaser rifle now!"

Nathan smirked. "Just make sure you've got the rifle in your hands once we get to the station." He climbed into the shuttle, taking a seat in the pilot's seat. He activated the comm system. "Alpha to Bravo, can you hear me?"

"Of course I can hear you sir." Crewman Mor'tah replied, gruffly. Mor'tah tended to be irritable. "Bravo will be ready for flight momentarily."

Nathan smiled, but said nothing in reply. The shuttles engines whined as he initiated the start up sequence. The Guenidier had two type nine shuttles in its shuttle bay. So far they hadn't found a use for them.

"Mor'tah and Ellen are in the other shuttle." Jason said, coming to the co-pilot's seat. "I've got all the extra gear stowed in the back."

"Explosives?"

"Enough to blast a sizable hole in their comm array."

"Good." Nathan activated the comm system. "Guenidier, we're ready, status on the incoming freighter?"

"They have slowed to impulse power," Klena replied through the comm system, "and are soon going to be passing the fifth planet."

"We'll await your signal." Sean said, also over the comm unit. "Good Luck Nathan."

"Thanks." Nathan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Alpha to Bravo, launch and set course for the fifth planet. Shut down all non-essential systems."

He activated the shuttle's impulse drive and slowly exited the hanger. Mor'tah's shuttle followed only a second behind. He glanced at Jason. There was a sudden lurch as the ship immediately jumped to warp, nearly missing an asteroid.

"The ship's lurching because I turned down the inertial dampeners." Jason explained. "We'll be fine." He looked down at his panel. "Coming to aft of the freighter in ten seconds."

Nathan listened to the countdown as he let his fingers trail along the panel before him. He hadn't been the one flying last time they tried this. He disengaged the warp drive just as the countdown reached zero.

The forward view port of the shuttle was filled with the view of the rear impulse and warp engines of the freighter. Nathan matched the freighter's speed. Mor'tah was right beside them. The two shuttles were dwarfed by the large engines on the freighter.

Jason sighed. "Here we go. The freighter is slowing down for transport."

Nathan carefully adjusted the shuttle's course, sliding under the freighter and slowly drifting towards the station. At this range, the station was huge. It was a flat cylindrical disk with rounded edges. The weapons were built into the edges of the disk, with a bridge mounted at the heart of the station.

He brought the shuttle to a stop just under the leading edge of the station. A station blocked the sunlight from shining into the cockpit. He dimmed the lighting as a precaution. The display in front of him showed the freighter slowly accelerating. He allowed himself to breath.

"Jason, set the computer to hold position." Nathan stood up and walked to the back of the shuttle. He picked up one of the packs containing the explosives. He activated the wall mounted transporter pad.

Jason climbed to the back of the shuttle and took the other explosives pack. He stood next to Nathan. "Ready when you are sir."

Nathan finalized the transporter sequence. The next thing he knew, the transporter beam was enveloping them. His vision took a moment to clear as his molecules came back together in the station's cargo bay. He immediately crouched down and brought his rifle out, listening for the tell tale signs of the alarms.

There was silence. He activated his commbadge. "Mor'tah, Ellen, report?" He said.

There was a brief moment of static, and then Ellen's voice came from the commbadge. "We're in the second cargo bay sir. We'll meet you in junction 4, just outside the comm relay center."

"Affirmative." Nathan replied. He motioned for Jason to follow, and then carefully proceeded to the door.

The door opened automatically to their presence, revealing an empty hallway. "Keep an eye out for any kind of internal defenses." Nathan said as he held his rifle in a firing position. It forced him to walk slowly, but it kept him ready to fight.

There was a very soft beeping as Jason's tricorder continually scanned the area ahead of them. Nathan followed the map displayed on his tricorder, leading to junction 4. The hallways were quiet, almost oppressively so.

"Hold it." Jason hissed. "Two guards." He gestured around the corner with his hand holding the tricorder.

Nathan held up two fingers, and then pointed to the far wall and around the corner. Jason placed his tricorder in his camouflage jacket's pocket. The jackets had turned a faint shade of gray, even in the lighting of the station's hallways. He raised his hand and gestured back down the hall.

Jason took the hint, quietly backtracking down the hall a short distance until they found an alcove. Nathan tucked his phaser rifle in close to his body, pressing his back against the wall. He pressed his ear to the wall.

He waited as the footsteps grew louder and louder. He held his breath as the two guards passed. They both carried phaser rifles, and wore the standard yellow Starfleet security uniform. There was no conversation between the guards. They passed without looking.

Nathan slowly walked back around the corner and back up the hall. "Ellen, report."

"Sir, we are near the entrance to the comm relays." Ellen whispered through the commbadge. "But there are two guards. Go through junction 15 and come from behind them."

"Alright, give us a minute." Nathan whispered in reply. He lowered his rifle and turned back around. Junction 15 was in the next section over. He carefully walked down the hall until he came to a security door.

"This one is gonna be a problem." Jason said. "Any ideas?"

Nathan accessed the control panel. "We're not at a high level alert sequence." He keyed the standard access code. The door opened with a hiss. "I'm surprised those codes haven't changed yet." Nathan swallowed. "Let's keep going."

He carefully followed his map, slowly taking turns at each intersection until they were in junction 6, just across from the comm relay station. He glanced down at the timer on his rifle. So far they were on time. He activated his commbadge. "Mor'tah, Ellen, we're in position."

"We're going to need some sort of distraction." Jason whispered.

Nathan nodded. "Ellen, Mor'tah, we're going to make a distraction here in a second. I want you to come from behind and incapacitate them."

"We'll be ready." Ellen replied.

Nathan gestured to the other side of the hall. Jason pressed his back against the junction. He tapped his hand against the wall. Nathan pressed his back against the wall, waiting.

"Hello?" He heard one of the guard say.

Nathan could hear footsteps as the guards approached. He waited until he saw the barrel of a phaser rifle come around the corner, then he whipped his rifle around. The stock of the rifle smashed into the guard nearest to him, knocking him to the floor.

There was a second impact as Mor'tah took out the other guard. The Klingon then knocked the first guard out with a quick blow to the head. Nathan grabbed one of the guards and pulled him back into the hallway, away from the comm room. Mor'tah grabbed the second guard and followed Nathan's lead.

The comm relay room was small, barely bigger than a jefferies tube junction room. Jason set his explosives on the relays in the room. "When this goes off it'll take them a week to fix it." He grimaced, stepping outside the room.

Nathan glanced over at Ellen. "Is there an access to the command center near here?"

"Just down the hall." She said. She matched Mor'tah in terms of physical stature, leaving them evenly matched in terms of size and speed.

"Let us take the battle to them." Mor'tah said. He wore his hair in the traditional Klingon fashion, with it long and resting on his shoulders, but proudly displaying his forehead ridges. The only difference between him and a Klingon warrior from the Klingon defense forces was his Guenidier uniform.

"We'll save the explosions for when we need to storm the bridge." Nathan motioned for them to follow and he headed for the bridge door. The hallways remained quiet and deserted.

Jason shook his head to clear the warnings in his head. "Something's not right."

"They should have detected us by now." Ellen said. "We're walking into a trap."

"At this point, we should keep going." Nathan gestured for them to quiet down. "But let's pick up the pace." He jogged quickly down the hall. Nathan motioned for Mor'tah and Ellen to cover the far side of the hall. He glanced back at Jason. "Detonate."

There was a muffled rumble as the station rocked from the explosion. Nathan knew they didn't have much time now. He pressed his back against the wall then motioned for Mor'tah and Ellen to enter.

"FREEZE!" Ellen yelled. "Drop your weapons!"

Mor'tah fired as two of the station guards reached for their phasers, both guards collapsed before they could pull their weapons out of their holsters. "Does anyone else wish to be a martyr?" Mor'tah hissed.

"Get them to the center of the room." Nathan said. "Jason, lets bring the weapons array off line."

Jason climbed into the seat near the tactical station as the other six people in the room walked slowly to the center of the room. "I've disabled the weapons arrays, as well as the shields."

Nathan activated his commbadge. "Captain, we've secured the bridge and disabled the weapons on the station." He glanced over at Mor'tah and Ellen. "Make sure we gather up the guards in the halls."

XXX

"Alright Nathan." Sean glanced down at Erica. "Take us out of the field and to the yard! Klena, target the key satellites and fire at will."

"Coming into weapons range in five seconds." Erica said.

"All phaser banks are ready." Klena said. "Targets acquired." The Guenidier came out from the asteroid field and shot towards the yard. "Firing forward phasers." Two of the satellites vanished from existence as a phaser beam vaporized them. Within seconds, all of the key satellites were destroyed. "The sensor net has been destroyed."

"Bring us alongside the galaxy class ship." Sean said. He activated his commbadge. "Mark, we're almost at the ship, standby."

"We're ready in the transporter room." He replied through the comm system.

The Guenidier entered the yard, sliding in between the the ships until it reached the galaxy class starship in the middle. Sean activated his commbadge. "Crewman Khrat, energize."

"Affirmative sir." Laysi replied over the comm.

Sean stood up. "Hold at battle stations." He glanced back at Kate. "Do we have an open audio channel to the team?"

Kate nodded. "I've got a visual line too."

"On screen." The image on the screen of the stars was replaced with one of the inside of the ship. "Mark, what's the situation?"

"Power's been off for awhile, all the air has been completely vented." Mark's voice echoed from the helmet on the environmental suit he wore. "I sent crewmen Wales and Mills to check the deuterium storage tanks and retrieve a few spare parts from engineering. Crewman Scott and I are proceeding to the forward phaser banks."

"We'll keep an open comm line." Sean said. "Stay in contact."

"Will do."

Sean leaned against the handrail near the helm console. "Open a channel to Nathan."

Kate nodded.

"Nathan, have you accounted for the entire crew of the station yet?"

"Mor'tah just got the last of them." Nathan replied. "Though one of them had a subspace transceiver on him."

"Has it been activated?"

"Not that I can tell, but it's also pretty badly damaged." Sean could hear Nathan sigh. "The crewman half vaporized it with a phaser before Mor'tah took him down.

Sean looked up at Kate. "Any sign it managed to transmit anything?"

"There's a very minute subspace signature... possibly just background radiation." Kate replied. "I can't pinpoint the source."

"Run a deep scan just to be sure." He turned around and sat on the rail. "Nathan, see if you can get him to tell you anything."

"Alright, what about the rest of the crew here?"

Sean crossed his arms, taking a deep breath. "How many are awake and conscious?"

"We've got six." Nathan replied. "Are we just going to keep them like this?"

"For now." Sean exhaled. "I'd prefer not to shoot them or sedate them if possible."

"Agreed, but what is our backup plan?"

"If it becomes necessary, stun the entire group." Sean met Kate's gaze at his proclamation. "But only if it becomes necessary. I trust your judgment. Guenidier out."

Kate shook her head. "Captain, you can't mean that!"

Sean looked down at the floor for a second, then back up at Kate. "If it becomes necessary Kate, then yes."

"And what is necessary?"

"When all other options are gone." Sean walked to her. "Do you have those scan results back?"

Kate nodded. "I'm reading two very distinct signatures."

"Two?"

"Like a transceiver signal... and a receiver signal."

Sean glanced at Klena. "A ship?"

"It is possible that a cloaked ship is receiving the signal," Klena said, "or more likely received it. The subspace transceiver on the station has been disabled."

"There's only one way a ship could have received that." Sean said. "It'd have to be cloaked."

"Can't be Starfleet." Erica said. "The Defiant should still be stationed at Deep Space Nine, and it's the only Starfleet ship with a cloaking device."

"Kate, can you tell if it was a Romulan ship?

"No." She said. "The signal is too weak."

"I believe it is doubtful that the Romulans are behind this." Klena said.

"I don't like the only other explanation."

"Another Starfleet ship with a cloak." Erica said, saying Sean's thought aloud.

"That Defiant class ship that destroyed the Pandora!" Kate shouted. "It had a cloak!"

"Klena... is it possible..." Sean didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. The entire ship shook, knocking him off his feet. His shoulder collided with the floor, sending tendrils of pain all the way through his body.

"Incoming ship, Defiant class!" Klena shouted.

"Bring us about!" Sean pulled himself back to his feet. He quickly took his seat. "Damage report!"  
"Our starboard shields are failing, and the starboard warp nacelle is offline!"

"Return fire."  
"Phasers are not responding." Kate shouted. "Power fluctuations from the damaged warp nacelle are disrupting the EPS grid."

"We're dead in the water?" Sean asked.

"For now." Kate glanced down. "We're being hailed."

He glanced at Kate. "Tell Mark to look out a window, he'll know what to do." Sean took a deep breath, turning back to face the front. "Let's hear it."

The image of space on the viewscreen was replaced with the image of a human male. He was caucasian, wearing the red command uniform common to Starfleet. "This is Captain Michael Penderghast of the USS Benedict, surrender your ship, or I will destroy you."

Sean glanced over his shoulder at Klena. The Vulcan shook her head. "Captain Sean Cunningham of the HMS Guenidier."

"By now you realize that you cannot escape. Your ship has no power or defensive capabilities."

"It is your move Captain." Sean stood up. "Your ship caused this situation. I don't know which master you serve, but it's not the same one your uniform says."

"Stop." Captain Penderghast held up a hand. "Starfleet warned me to expect this from you. There's no reason to believe it."

"I didn't expect you to." Sean met Penderghast's eyes. "You know what really happened too."

"Interesting conviction Captain." The image vanished.

"They've cut transmission." Kate announced.

"How much longer till we have shields?" Sean asked.

"Ten seconds." Klena replied. "Phasers are coming back online as well."

"Why haven't they blown us out of the sky?" Erica asked.

"I think they're waiting for an excuse." Sean drummed his fingers on the armrest. "Though I wonder why?"

"Perhaps so that they have tamper proof evidence that we attacked them." Klena suggested. "They are denying the events that led our mutiny."

"And they're ignoring the station." Kate said. "For some reason, they're focused on us." She glanced down. "I'm getting a very narrow band transmission from Mark, audio only."

"On speakers."

"We've got the lower phaser array online," Mark said, "but they're not going to stay like that for long. We also need targeting data from the Guenidier."

"Hold on for a second, be ready to fire." Sean turned back to Klena. "Transmit it!"

Klena nodded, then immediately looked back up. "They are coming around."

Sean looked at Erica. "Evasive. Tell me we have shields and weapons."

"We do have both Captain, however the torpedo loading mechanism is offline. We can only fire the two torpedoes that are already in the launchers."

"Fine, fire at will."

The lower saucer section phaser array on the galaxy class starship glowed briefly, and then a phaser beam shot out and slammed into the Benedict. The shields on the Benedict turned opaque from the sustained impact.

"Klena, bring our forward torpedo launchers to bear."

"Firing torpedoes." Klena said.

Two torpedoes shot forward, slamming into the already weakened shields of the Benedict.

"Their shields are down 60."

"What about the launchers?" Sean said. "We're not going too..." The ship shuddered as the Benedict returned fire.

"Our dorsal and ventral shields are failing." Klena shouted over the sparking consoles all around her. "The outer hull is sustaining major damage!"

"There's a weakness in their shields!" Kate shouted over the noise of sparking consoles and alarms. "I'm transmitting targeting data."

A phaser blast punched straight through the shields in the Defiant, slamming into the warp nacelle. The outer lights on the ship flickered. A blue trail of deuterium leaked into space.

"Direct hit to their starboard warp nacelle." Klena said.

"YES!!!" Kate pumped her fists up into the air. "Got them!"

"They are cloaking." Klena announced.

Sean stood up. "Okay, damage report!"

"Our ventral shield emitter is offline, as well as our warp drive."

"That means we're not going to run." He thought for a moment. "Kate, scan for a deuterium trail."

Kate looked down. "Commander Turner is hailing."

"Put him on audio."

"Captain, we've got most of what we came for, and we also burned out what was left in the batteries."

"I thought you said it was going to take longer?"

"We sped things up a bit. Besides, somebody's going to have to repair the damage on that ship now."

"Prepare to transport." He looked to Klena. "Watch for the moment they decloak. We'll need to do this twice." He clenched his fists. "Kate, any progress yet."

"Their movement is making it difficult to accurately get a fix on their position." She replied. "But I've almost got a fix."

Sean activated his commbadge. "Energize."

"Lowering shields for transport." Klena announced. She waited for a second. "Raising shields."

"We must've done more damage than I thought." Sean said. He glanced at Erica. "Bring us within transport range of the station, slowly."

"Captain, I think I have their position." Kate said.

"Do we have torpedoes?"

"Two more torpedoes have been manually loaded into forward torpedo launchers."

Sean narrowed his eyes. "Target that position and fire."

"Firing phasers."

"They're decloaking!" Kate shouted.

"Torpedo bays one and two, now!" Sean ordered.

Both torpedoes streaked across space and slammed into the Benedict. Explosions ripped giant holes into the ship's hull. The Benedict warped away only seconds later.

"They've gone to warp." Kate said. "Sorry sir, but I lost their position."

"It's okay." Sean said softly. "At least we're still alive to talk about it. Beam our teams on the station over."

"Bridge, this is Engineering." Mark's voice boomed over the comm system. "We've taken a beating down here, I'm fighting plasma leaks on the starboard nacelle, the matter/antimatter mixture is way off because most of the injectors are damaged and the whole situation is causing an imbalance in the warp field. We're lucky we don't have an antimatter leak. Needless to say, I've got a few fires to put out down here, sorry captain, warp one is the best I can give you."

"That's enough Mark." Sean said.

"We have Commander Stark and his team." Laysi announced over the comm.

"Get us out of here!"

"Yes sir." Erica said. The Guenidier raced to warp.

XXX

Sean looked out the window, watching the snow slowly fall onto the hull of the ship. The planet was small, but the temperature was just below the freezing point of water. The area under the saucer remained snow free.

He turned around and took his seat at the briefing table. "Let's start with the bad news. How much damage did we take?"

"It could've been worse." Mark said. "The majority of the damage is to the external hull. Most of the internal damage is restricted to the EPS grid. The starboard nacelle is a problem however." Mark leaned forward. "We have to replace the entire warp coil assembly."

"Do we have the parts?" Sean asked.

"Yes." Mark said. "I made sure to have crewmen Wales and Mills take the warp coils too. I figured we'd need them regardless. They are interchangeable components. We also collected a small portion of spare deuterium."

"Repair estimate?"

"We'll need at least a week." Mark said. "And everyone will have to be helping with the damage."

"Agreed." Sean took a deep breath. "And casualties?"

"Several crewmen are in serious condition, but the Doctor and crewman Lshan believe they will make a full recovery given time." Klena reported. "The other injuries were minor."

"We were lucky." Sean said. "Let's not forget that."

"We've got the components for the cannons." Mark said. "But we're going to have to construct them outside the ship."

"Will the weather affect the construction?" Kate asked.

"Provided it's not a blizzard out there, we should be fine."

"The shields will provide an alternative canopy." Nathan said. "We should be able to keep working on the cannons, even in a blizzard."

"But we can't do that all the time." Kate said. "The shields would make too much heat."

"And while I'm repairing the nacelle we're going to have to shut down the warp core." Mark said. "It's going to be a long week for everyone."

"How much down time will we be talking about?"

"We'll probably have a day without main power." Mark said. "We'll want to prepare for it, replicate spare supplies and make sure all our batteries are charged. I'm hoping to have the capacitors ready before then; we'll tie them into the main power grid."

"Kate, I want you to try and run some weather simulations." Sean said. "Make sure we pick a good day to shut down power."

"I'll have it done by tomorrow." Kate replied.

"Good." Sean looked around the table. "I talked with Mark about this awhile ago… but now I want to bring it up with all of you."

He stood up. "This ship is not a Starfleet ship, not anymore. Outside is USS Guenidier, the plates are still the same under USS. I propose we change that."

"To what?" Erica asked.

"HMS." Mark piped in. "We'll borrow a bit from 20th century Earth history."

"Today I used it, completely off hand, to identify us." Sean said, leaning on the table. "I think it's appropriate because we are still very true to the guiding principle of Starfleet, which was spawned from Earth. But we're also different."

"Doesn't seem like a bad idea." Kate said. "I like it."

"Your logic is sound Captain." Klena said with a nod.

"I take it we're agreed then?" Sean asked. Everyone nodded. "Alright, I want everyone to get a good night's sleep and then start working first thing tomorrow. Dismissed."

XXX

Sean stepped out of the bathroom, shaking out the kinks in his muscles. The sonic shower had left his muscles tingling. "Computer, resume recording." He said.

There was a beep. "We managed to acquire everything we needed, though I'm disturbed by the Benedict's attack. There is no way they could've known we were going to be there. My only conclusion is that they followed us."

He sat down on his bed. "That leaves me wondering, why did they wait so long to attack us? How were they following us and why we were left alone for so long? I think we're in the clear for now, but it leaves me feeling like we're being watched."

"Are we being played?" He sighed. "Computer, end recording."

There was a beep. He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, tomorrow would be a new day.


	6. Mx06 A Good Day to Die

_Slowly the asteroid dust slowly drifted back down on top of the Guenidier, obscuring its name plates and registry. The glow on the warp nacelles faded to blackness and one by one the lights on the ship blinked out, leaving the only illumination on the ship to come from the distant sun at the heart of the system._

_Stray disruptor shots impacted the ground nearby, peppering the asteroid with craters. In space there was no noise. An observer would not notice the battle overhead, only the occasional fireball that took the place of rain on a lifeless asteroid..._

XXX

Sean glanced down at the datapad in his hand. The results of the test firing of the Dilithium-Focused Phase, or DFP for short, cannons displayed before him. The energy discharge was greater than ten photon torpedoes. The charge rate of the capacitors impressed him.

He gently set the pad down as the helm console chimed.

"We've entered Klingon space." Erica glanced over her shoulder. "We're currently running parallel to the Romulan Neutral Zone."

"Maintain course and speed." Sean leaned back and turned around to face Mor'tah. "We'll be nearing your family's territory soon."

Mor'tah's teeth glinted as the corners of his mouth curled upward in appreciation. "Thank you Captain. I am honored by this opportunity."

"Slowing to impulse." Erica's voice pierced the otherwise silent bridge.

"I'm reading a single K'vort class Bird of Prey decloaking ahead, weapons are not charged." Kate said. "They're hailing."

"On screen." Sean stood up and took his position at the center of the bridge. The image on the viewscreen abruptly changed from the backdrop of stars to one of a grizzled old Klingon. Streaks of grey tarnished his former black hair, a sign of age. His uniform left him with more room than needed.

"I am Captain Konjah of the IKS Ble'mach. You have entered the territory of the house of K'vorash, state your business." His voice contained none of the age of his hair and uniform.

"I am Captain Sean Cunningham, of the HMS Guenidier. We seek passage through your space, but first we would like to return the son of General Kras home."

"Amusing Starfleet," The Klingon's belly shoot visibly through the uniform in laughter, "but I doubt that an entire starship would make the journey home for one Klingon."

"A few things have changed." Sean nodded.

Like a predator stalking prey, Mor'tah took Sean's seat. "I am Mor'tah, of the house of K'vorash, son of Kras!"

With an expression that was a cross between shock and embarrassment, he quickly straightened his uniform. "Proceed to K'vorash Prime. General Kras will be expecting you." The transmission ended.

"The Ble'mach is cloaking." Kate announced.

"Erica, set course for K'vorash Prime, we don't want to keep the General waiting."

A faint smile crossed Erica's face as she spun around in her chair.. "We'll be there in two hours."

"It does not appear that word of our mutiny has passed to the Klingons." Klena's voice held no inflection. Yet it contained all the care of a dancer.

Sean caught a faint glint in her blue eyes. She had stated the obvious truth and she knew it. "But why? What does Starfleet have to hide from the Klingons?"

"Maybe whoever is pulling the strings doesn't like Klingons?" Kate shrugged nonchalantly.

"Or maybe we were merely paws." Nathan's whisper slowly transversed the bridge.

Sean felt the deep pit in his stomach churn in response. "For now... I don't know."

"Caution is advisable." Klena said. "However, there is little else we can do at this time."

A faint smile crossed Sean's face. "There's always a bright side, there's no sense dwelling on things we can't change.."

"Or a glorious battle!" Mor'tah barred his fangs from the back of the bridge in a very Klingon smile.

Sean chuckled softly and glanced back at Mor'tah. "There is." He leaned forward. "There will be a glorious battle before this is all over."

"Captain." The slight raised pitch of Kate's voice alerted him to trouble. "I'm detecting an energy surge ahead... two Klingon B'rel class Birds of Prey directly decloaking directly ahead of us. They have weapons and shields powered!"

"Red Alert, shields up!" Sean narrowed his eyes. It was too early to encounter a group of hostile Klingons. His gut churned again. "Hail them."

Kate breathed out audibly. "They're responding."

The image of the two Birds of Prey in front of them was replaced by one of a Klingon on his Bridge. The Klingon's bald head accented his pronounced forehead ridges, and he wore a fitting traditional Klingon naval uniform. In the background two Klingons stood behind him at their stations. "I am Captain Gi'ral, of the IKS Muy'pup. You have entered contested space and I would recommend that you leave immediately."

"On whose authority?"

"I am of the house of Kt'vantok. This space belongs to us. If you do not leave immediately we will not be responsible for the consequences."

"Rest assured we will depart as soon we have completed our business."

"I do not make my threats idly Starfleet."

"Neither do I." Sean took a stand again, holding eye contact with the Klingon the entire time. It was a dangerous game, baiting the Klingon. However, Klingons generally respected a strong face rather than a diplomatic one. "We have business in this space, and we will depart when we want to."

Captain Gi'ral laughed loudly, tilting his head back. After a few moments of laughter he barred his fangs. "You may yet prove to be a worth adversary... Guenidier." The transmission ended abruptly.

The hollow of Sean's stomach refused to stop churning in response. "I think they know who we are."

The two ships cloaked, leaving the Guenidier once again alone.

"I'm reading warp signatures, they're gone." Kate's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.

"Klena, set up a tachyon detection grid." Sean suppressed the feeling of dread in his gut. "I want to know when we've got cloaked ships nearby." He clasped his hands behind his back. "For now we keep going."

XXX

Above the planet of K'vorash Prime, a fleet of Klingon warships held position. At the head of the formation, a Vor'cha battleship was placed in the position of honor. Two antiquated, but no doubt upgraded, D7 K'Tingas flanked it. An additional three K'vort class Birds of Prey finalized the defense for near the Klingon Starbase.

A network of torpedo turrets formed an outer defense net just beyond the lead battleship. The light of the sun reflected off of the planetary shield. It was prepared for war. There were no doubt weapon emplacements on the ground, modulated to fire through the shields.

The Guenidier slowly approached.

A shrill whistle escaped Erica's lips. "Thats some impressive firepower."

"They are prepared to die." The low pitch of Mor'tah's voice reminded Sean of the desperation of the situation. "The house of Kt'vantok must have the advantage."

"How much do you know about Kt'vantok's fleet?"

"At the time of my enrollment in Starfleet, the Kt'vantok were not much stronger the K'vorash. Tensions however, were already high."

"What about?"

"The K'vorash may be small, but we hold one of the principal dilithium mines in the Empire. It is on K'vorash Prime's moon."

"That's it?" Sean did not understand why one moon could be so valuable.

"The Kt'vantok are disadvantaged because my family's resources earn them a seat on the High Council. For many years they have tried to take our mine. Each time they have failed."

"Then why are the defenses around K'vorash Prime if the moon is the target?"

"It was my father's belief that the Kt'vantok would have to face us above K'vorash Prime before ever setting foot on the moon. Controlled from the Imperial Palace is the detonator for a massive series of antimatter bombs on the moon. If the Kt'vantok try to take the moon, my father will destroy it himself."

Sean took a deep breath. "Let's find your father. Hail the lead ship."

"They are directing us to the Imperial Place in the capitol city of Ki'vor on K'vorash." Kate replied. "On screen."

The display on the viewscreen changed to one of the command center deep within the Imperial Palace. The artificial lighting highlighted the gray at the edge of the Klingon's hair. His forehead shone brightly, leaving the ridges on his forehead exposed and very pronounced. The Klingon Defense Force uniform bulged from the muscles in his arms.

"I am General Kras, leader of the house of K'vorash." His voice plunged to a guttural low.

"I'm Captain Sean Cunningham, your son's Captain." Sean nodded to Mor'tah. "If you would like, I can arrange for your son to be beamed down your location."

"I would ask that you accompany him Captain." Sacks of black weighed down Kras' eyes. "He and I have a very serious matter to discuss."

"Transmit coordinates and we will beam down shortly."

"We will open the shield for you."

The transmission ended abruptly. Sean turned to Mor'tah. "Is your father alright?"

"No." Mor'tah replied. "I fear something dreadful has happened. The fire in my father's blood looks to be spent."

"Then lets not keep him waiting."

XXX

A large cavernous room met Sean and Mor'tah as the blue swirling mists of the transporter beam dissolved into coherent forms. The assembly hall, dimly lit with rows of torches, stood before him. Near the other end, standing before a large green banner with the Imperial Insignia in its traditional red, was a set of wrought iron lamp stands blazing away the eons. A sound stirred behind them, causing the two men to turn to meet General Kras entering through the cavernous doorway adorned with the Seal of the House of K'vorash. General Kras swiftly covered the distance between his location and his son's. Sean stepped back to let the two Klingons greet each other.

Mor'tah reached out to embrace his father. "It is momentous to once again be in this great hall!"

Kras embraced his son. "It is not as great as it once was."

"Why would our hall not be greater now than ever before?" The joy left Mor'tah like a waterfall.

"Your brother is dead. The halls are no longer filled with his strength."

Mor'tah tilted his head back and howled into the darkest depths of the room. The sound reverberated off the walls, echoing for several minutes. "When did this happen?"

"Several days ago. Your brother fought off a Kt'vantok attack on K'vorash Six and died because of it."

"He died a glorious death then." Mor'tah pounded his fists against his chest. "There is no reason to mourn the passing of a great warrior."

"No son." A second of silence stretched out into eternity. "He was betrayed by his own crew." The whisper carried throughout the room. Betrayal among Klingons always resulted in blood on both sides.

Sean felt an uneasy silence fall over the room. Even the torch-light seemed to dim in response to the silence. It felt like he was violating a law to even breathe. He didn't dare move.

"Have they been dealt with?" Mor'tah's voice plunged even lower than the guttural low of his father's.

"I personally pursued them. However, they have fled with their ship to the Kt'vantok Starbase just beyond our borders. I cannot leave the home world undefended to pursue them there."

"And what of the Kt'vantok?"

"I believe they are massing for an invasion."

"We have faced them before; they cannot win an offensive battle against us. Not with our defenses intact!"

"Their fleet size has doubled since you left son!" Kras glanced up at the banner of the Klingon Empire. "A Negh'var battleship now leads the fleet. Someone has been supplying them with ships and supplies! Though our intelligence remains baffled as to the identity of their suppliers."

"What of the High Council, will they not aid us?"

"No, they will not. I sent a message yesterday. Internal house politics are beyond the Council right now, according to their reply. It is a lie."

"What is happening to the Council? Is it yet another rebellion, an attempt to overthrow Chancellor Martok?"

"Of that I do not know." Kras replied. "The outcome remains unchanged however, we stand alone."

"Not necessarily alone." Sean's voice echoed in the hall.

"Are you offering to join us human?"

Sean shrugged. "I'm assuming that at this point diplomacy isn't really an option"

Kras laughed loudly, the sound filling the hall. "Indeed Captain."

"I'm also assuming that you need every ship you can get."

"You are a smart one human." Kras voice finally broke free of the guttural low it had been, returning to a normal speaking tone. "Did they teach you that at the Academy?"

"Wit and Sarcasm 101. It is a freshman level academy course. I did very well in that class."

The deep laughter of two Klingons filled the hall in response.

"Do you want us to join you?" Sean's eyes narrowed.

Kras stood silent for a moment. After a moment of silence he offered an arm. "It would be an honor to have you join us in glorious battle."

Sean grasped his arm. "I'll contact you once I've had a chance to discuss the issue with my officers."

"Very well."

Sean turned to Mor'tah. "I assume that you'll need leave while here on K'vorash."

"It is unnecessary Captain." Mor'tah replied.

"It's granted anyway." Sean nodded, and then activated his commbadge. "Laysi, one to beam up." The mists of the transporter beam enveloped him.

XXX

Sean walked to the center of the Bridge. "The Klingons have requested our aid."

"In what?" Erica asked.

His eyes slowly passed each station, stopping only briefly to make eye contact with each member of his crew. "Someone has been supplying their rivals, the Kt'vantok. They're preparing for an invasion of K'vorash space and diplomacy is not an option."

"What kind of aid do they require?" Klena asked.

"They need another ship in their fleet. I told them that I would consult with my officers about aiding them." He glanced around again, clasping his hands behind his back. "I can't commit us to this course of action without agreement from all of you."

"We just finished a week of repairing the ship!" Mark broke the silence, sitting at the auxiliary engineering station built into the right side of the Bridge. "Though we do need an opportunity to field test the DFP cannons, along with the phaser strips on the nacelles."

"We're about to get that chance." Kate said. "I'm picking up a Klingon distress beacon from the sixth planet in the system. The K'vorash fleet is already mobilizing."

Sean took his seat. "Erica, bring us alongside the Klingon fleet, match their course and speed. Bring weapons online and raise the shields."

"I'm getting sensor readings on the battle above the sixth planet." Kate's voice pierced the commotion. "There are two groups of Klingon Birds of Prey; one of B'rels, and one of K'vorts." She closed her eyes for a moment. "They're bombarding the surface of the planet from orbit."

"Increase speed, let's get there quickly enough to stop the massacre."

"At this speed we'll arrive a minute before the Klingons do."

"Nathan, target one of the K'vorts with our cannons. All we need to do is hold our own for a minute."

"We're dropping out of warp." Erica announced.

The planet before them was burning, the atmosphere poisoned red from innumerable fires. The three K'vort Birds of Prey were holding position above the largest city, pouring disruptor fire into the planet's already poisoned atmosphere.

The B'rel Birds of Prey were split up, each firing randomly into the planetoid. None of the ships turned to engage the Guenidier as it raced towards the planet. Sean almost wished they had. Every shot made the damage to the planet worse.

"Hail them."

"They're not responding." Kate replied.

"Fire!"

The long cannon mounts stretched just short of the length of the saucer section of the Guenidier. Both of them glowed blue as the capacitors built deep into the ship emptied the stored energy into the cannons' firing mechanism. Within the black depths of the cannon barrels, energy shot forward and out.

Two beams of blue light streaked across space, crossing the distance between the Guenidier and the lead K'vort cruiser in the blink of an eye. Upon impact, the shields on the cruiser turned opaque and failed, all within the first second. The energy continued forward unabated, cutting through the hull plating and ripping the ship in two.

As the K'vort exploded the cannons shut down, devoid of power. An electrical discharge from the cannons refracted off the Guenidier's shields, slamming into the hull. The electric charge bounced off the emitters located on the outside of the ship, all the way to the warp nacelles. A second later, all power failed.

XXX

_The Guenidier fell, falling from its mighty position in space and down to the asteroid. Power flickered once, twice, as the crew desperately tried to regain control. Gravity proved to be stronger than a lifeless ship. Just before crashing, the maneuvering thrusters fired, tilting the saucer section upwards and slowly the fall._

_Slowly the asteroid dust slowly drifted back down on top of the Guenidier, obscuring its name plates and registry. The glow on the warp nacelles faded to blackness and one by one the lights on the ship blinked out, leaving the only illumination on the ship to come from the distant sun at the heart of the system._

_Stray disruptor shots impacted the ground nearby, peppering the asteroid with craters. In space there was no noise. An observer would not notice the battle overhead, only the occasional fireball that took the place of rain on a lifeless asteroid..._

XXX

"What happened?" Sean shouted over the wailing alarms.

"Static energy buildup in the cannons refracted off our shields." Mark shouted to be heard. "The energy wave overloaded the ship's systems."

"Can we fix it?"

Mark stood up from his console. "I need to be in Engineering to do it."

"Go." Sean surveyed the Bridge in the dim red light of the emergency lighting. The shower of sparks when the energy wave had overloaded the ship's system, but there were little signs of damage. Several of the consoles were blackened, others flickered with status displays.

The viewscreen was blank, showing no image of how the Klingons had responded, or what they were doing. At any second the Klingons could open fire and they would be lucky if the shields were still up. At this point there was no way to tell.

"Kate, can you give me anything on sensors?" Sean came over to her console.

"I'm sorry Captain, but they're all offline." Kate shook her head. "We're not going to see it if they do fire on us."

"What's the time since we entered the system?"

"One minute ten seconds…" Klena calculated the time instantly. "…provided Ensign Dulmane's estimate was correct about our early arrival."

The lights flickered, then even the emergency lighting died. Sean held his breath. Then all the lights returned at full strength. The consoles lit up before them.

"Shields, weapons?" Sean didn't need to shout anymore, the alarms were silenced.

"We've got full power." Nathan replied.

"Sensors are back." Kate audibly breathed out in relief. "The Kt'vantok ships are retreating, General Kras is also hailing."

The viewscreen came to life with the image of General Kras. "The Kt'vantok cowards!" Kras spat. "They have turned and fled, denying the lost souls of K'vorash Six their just revenge!"

Realizing it was a message for the entire fleet, Sean turned his head to face Kate. "Any life signs on the planet."

Kate brushed away a tear. "No. The entire atmosphere is poisoned by disruptor fire. Volcanic activity is releasing large quantities of ash and carbon dioxide into the air. It's going to be another hundred years before this planet is habitable."

XXX

The low ceiling of the planning room trapped the dim light from the lights that lined the walls of the planning room in the Imperial Palace on K'vorash. In the region devoid of light at the center of the room, a 3-D hologram displayed the battlefield around K'vorash Prime. The hologram consisted of the planet in the center, with an asteroid field at the edge of the hologram near the subspace communications screen.

General Kras and his five top captains surrounded the table. Mor'tah stood off to the side. Sean wondered if it would've been better to have left Mor'tah on the ship. This was a meeting of the heads of starships, and even though he was the general's son, he did not have a place here. The hologram shifted to display the asteroid field in the center of the display, replacing K'vorash Prime.

"This will be our first battleground." Kras muttered. "The fleet will engage the Kt'vantok lead elements here. Our goal will be to eliminate their artillery ships. Three K'vort Birds of Prey shall cloak, and hide here on the outskirts of the field." The General pointed to a location just beyond the field. "Wait for the traitors to pass by before opening fire."

Kras positioned the Guenidier, the two K'Tingas, and his own command ship outside the field. "The rest of us, shall engage the enemy in the field. Before joining battle we will destroy as many asteroids as possible to create a hazardous passage for them. The Starfleet ship's advanced sensor net will be used to spot cloaked ships."

"We can deploy a tachyon detection grid as soon as we're in position." Sean confirmed. "We'll also help in any way we can."

"You are to stay outside the fight Starfleet." The upbeat tone of the captain betrayed the mockery of the statement, "give us a deafening blast from your cannons then we shall charge into battle and deal with our traitorous kinsmen."

Sean sighed. "General, I still need to talk with my chief engineer, but we may not be able to fire those cannons again. If we lose power for a minute again, that's a minute we will not be able to provide a tachyon detection grid, and it could be worse."

"Bah, the only detection grid we will need will be our own sensors confirming that we are slaughtering them with disruptor fire!" Another of the captains barked. Sean didn't know his name.

As the old Klingons chuckled, Mor'tah stepped forward. "You would do well to show respect to my captain!" The Klingon growled at the other ones.

"And why should we do that?"

"Because you need his aid."

"Are you prepared to die in battle human?"

"I'm prepared to win." Sean kept his voice intentionally at a whisper. "General, if I may?" Sean gestured to the tactical map.

Kras fell silent for a moment, then he stepped back from the hologram controls. He walked around the table and adjusted the fleets so that the Guenidier was a separate entity.

"I propose that instead of using the asteroids as a battlefield, they should be little more than a diversion." Sean shifted the focus of the map in closer. "The Guenidier will fake a crash landing on one of the asteroids. The three K'vort cruisers will remain cloaked and hidden just as you planned, until the Kt'vantok fleet passes by, chasing your ship and its escorts General."

He zoomed out so that the entire battlefield was seen. "You will retreat until you are within your defensive grid around K'vorash Prime. If you have to taunt the Kt'vantok fleet, do so. Get them to follow you." He gestured to the asteroid field. "While you are defending the Starbase and defensive grid, the Guendier and the K'vort cruisers will reform and attack from behind. We'll take out the command ship too."

"It is devious like a Romulan!" Another of the captain's hissed. "A coward's plan!"

"Do you want victory or death?"

"In the halls of Stovo'kor all are equal!" The captain threw a toothy smile.

"Then you will not have my ship and my crew to help you."

"Bah, we do not need a weakling human!" A third of the captain's finally spoke.

The fourth captain laughed. "You are a fool K'Mec! We need every ship we can get!"

"A Starfleet ship does not equate even to a Klingon freighter!"

"There is no honor in suicide!" Mor'tah hissed, entering the fray.

"Watch your tongue!" K'Mec drew his d'k tahg, the standard issue knife of the Klingon Navy. It glistened in the low lighting. "Or do you wish to prove who is truly stronger?" The Klingon dropped into a fighting position, the blade glistened in the light.

Sean stepped back and rolled his eyes. "Is this really accomplishing anything?"

"No." Mor'tah's voice returned to the guttural low. "His sense of honor is placed before his sense of duty."

"PetaQs! You're both acting like a couple of young Targs!" The fifth captain said, thankfully diffusing the situation with a well timed insult. "We are here to plan battle, not to fight for our enemies."

"After the battle then." K'Mec sheathed his d'k tahg. "For now I do not wish to be coward in battle."

"This battle will not be one by strength alone." Sean said, slowly shifting his gaze from one captain to the other. "This battle will be won, only if we can beat the odds."

"And why is there not another way besides being Romulans." K'Mec hissed.

"Do you have a better idea?" Sean snapped, gesturing to the controls.

K'Mec growled but remained silent.

Several of the other captains chuckled.

"Very well Captain." Kras said, clapping his hands together in what could almost be considered a mocking gesture. "It is a minor deviation from our plan." Kras' communicator beeped. He pulled it out. "What is it?"

"Sir, communication from General Kadar." A voice from the speaker of the communicator replied. "He wishes to offer terms."

"Bah, he knows we shall not surrender." Kras nearly spat into the communicator. "We will hear him down here."

The viewscreen on the far wall activated and displayed the image of a grizzled Klingon. His pronounced forehead ridges were accented by his long black hair. He wore a weathered but still well armored Klingon naval uniform and sat in the command chair of a starship.

"General Kras, I am General Kadar of the house of Kt'vantok."

"You cowardly peta'Q, speak or be gone!" Kras spat back at him.

"I am many things, but not a coward." Kadar leaned back in his chair. "This is your final chance to surrender and save your world from flame."

"We would rather die!" Kras moved to stand right before the screen.

"I promise you this Kras." Kadar lowered his voice. "By the end of the day, we will have captured you, and made you watch as we destroy your home. Then, when your honor is gone, we will finally execute you. Your skies will be blackened by the sight of our magnificent fleet."

"Peta'Q!!!" If Kras had been able to, he would've strangled Kadar. The transmission ended abruptly. "To battle my warriors, let not a single Kt'vantok survive!"

Kras led his captains out of the room. Sean waited, letting them leave. He turned to Mor'tah. "Crewman, I need you back on the ship."

Mor'tah nodded.

Sean activated his commbadge. "Guenidier, two to beam up."

XXX

_An arc of electricity burst from the cannon, refracting off the shields and back onto the hull of the Guenidier. The beams of harnessed energy missed their target, the energy discharge causing a surge in the impulse engines. The energy crawled along the hull, finally coming to the point where it smashed into the warp nacelles._

_The Guenidier fell, falling from its mighty position in space and down to the asteroid. Power flickered once, twice, as the crew desperately tried to regain control. Gravity proved to be stronger than a lifeless ship. Just before crashing, the maneuvering thrusters fired, tilting the saucer section upwards and slowly the fall._

_Slowly the asteroid dust slowly drifted back down on top of the Guenidier, obscuring its name plates and registry. The glow on the warp nacelles faded to blackness and one by one the lights on the ship blinked out, leaving the only illumination on the ship to come from the distant sun at the heart of the system._

_Stray disruptor shots impacted the ground nearby, peppering the asteroid with craters. In space there was no noise. An observer would not notice the battle overhead, only the occasional fireball that took the place of rain on a lifeless asteroid..._

XXX

Sean walked out of the turbolift and back onto the Bridge. Klena glanced back but did not announce his presence. He preferred it that way. Mark, Kate, and Nathan were all working at the auxiliary engineering console.

Immediately upon returning to K'vorash Prime, Mark, Kate, and Nathan had started working on a way to avoid the energy discharge that had crippled the Guenidier over K'Vorash Six. Without a solution, their chances of survival dropped drastically.

"What do you have?"

Kate glanced up. "The energy discharge was caused by the free electrons left in the cannons after we fired them. They were already charged and they couldn't escape because our shields were set to a standard energy modulation."

"Which happened to be the same modulation of the energy discharge." Nathan added. "The result was what we saw. The energy bounced off the shields and back at us."

"Our first solution was to set the shields to a rotating modulation." Mark called up a simulation on the small screen that showed the firing sequence of the cannons. "Its pretty similar to what Starfleet uses to combat the Borg. Ships are even programmed to do it automatically." The simulation showed the energy refract off the shields after a third try. "The problem is there is still the freak chance that the two energy fields will have the same modulation and we'll have a repeat of what happened."

"There are two solutions that we came up with." Kate said. "The first, and probably is a more long term solution, is to create a set of lightning rods to discharge the energy in smaller quantities along the hull. We would need to build them though and we're probably looking at a few days work on a planet again."

"The second," Mark said. "Is where we drop the shields."

"Drop the shields?" All the trains running in Sean's head ground to a halt at the statement.

"We can program the computer to drop the shields the instant the cannons fire." Mark activated a simulation. "It guarantees that the energy is not confined to the ship because it can freely discharge into space. The shields would be down for no more than a second."

Sean watched the simulation play through another time, the trains grinding slowly back up to speed. "Okay, we'll go with this for now. I want a detailed report on my desk after this is all over on what we need to create the 'lightning rods.' This solution is too dangerous to be permanent."

Suddenly, a thought sprang into existence in his head. "Is it possible to fake an energy discharge, so the Klingons think we disabled ourselves?"

Kate shrugged. "I think so." She looked down at Mark.

"We can easily run a low voltage but high current electrical discharge from anywhere on the ship." Mark said. "And I can fake the power failure. I'm just not certain how to accurately fake the cannon firing sequence."

"What if we miss?"

"Then we could use a narrow band laser. It wouldn't do any damage, but it would look like we fired."

"Can you be ready to do this before we get in battle?"

"I can have it ready in twenty minutes." A smile imposed itself on Mark's face.

Sean smiled. "Then do it. In thirty minutes we're at battlestations."

XXX

**Nothing can prepare you for battle. Not when you are but a part of a thousand different pieces to the puzzle. A thousands different pieces that all have to fit together for the battle to be won. If a single piece is missing, then people die. If several pieces are missing, then there is a hole. A hole big enough for the other side to go through, and then everything falls apart.**

A shiver ran down Sean's spine, as he watched the asteroid field on the viewscreen grow closer with each passing moment. The K'vort cruisers were already in position, but the Guenidier still needed to do it's part and hide with them. The capacitors were charged, leaving them with one shot from each of the DFP cannons.

General Kras' Vorcha, on the ISK Kvor'rah was in front, flanked on either side by the K'Tingas. The Guenidier itself held position above Kvor'rah. The bright white and blue lighting on the Guenidier stood in stark contrast to the dark Klingon ships illuminated only by their red-orange warp nacelles.

"Kate, do we have detailed scans of the Kt'vantok fleet yet?" Sean asked.

"There are five K'vort Birds of Prey, along with five B'rel Birds of Prey." She displayed a top down view of the fleet on the screen. Both groups of ships are the leading edges of the fleet. Further back they have two Vorcha cruisers, escorting a Negh'var battleship."

"Where did they get that ship?" Sean took a deep breath. "Transmit our data to the fleet. General Kras will know what to do." He glanced back at Nathan. "Find a weak point in the shields of that Negh'var. We'll take it down first."

Nathan nodded. "The rear shields on any Klingon vessel will be weaker. Our cannons should be able to penetrate."

Sean activated his commbadge. "Mark, stand by for our light show."  
"It's going to be a rough ride." Mark replied through the comm. "But we're ready."

"We're receiving a wide beam transmission from General Kras." Kate said. "He's addressing the defenders of K'vorash."

"Put him on audio."

"We have a solemn duty today warriors." Kras' voice stayed at a low pitch, but carried through the Bridge, aided by the ship's communication ships. "Our duty is to preserve the freedom of our fellow Klingons, and to teach cowards how to fight. I know each and every one of you will fight to death if need be." The General paused, his point sinking in across the fleet. "Know this my warriors, we will either be victorious today, or we will meet our enemy in the halls of Stova'kor!" He finished with a yell.

"The General's group has opened fire." Kate announced. "They're targeting the asteroids."

"Stand by all weapons, move us in closer." Sean ordered.

The Guenidier slowly drifted forward, staying just above the bursts of disruptor fire from the other Klingon ships. The asteroid field slowly turned into a maelstrom of rocks; rocks superheated by the disruptor fire. The first group of ships through the field were the B'rel Birds of Prey.

Phaser and disruptor fire greeted them. The first of the Birds of Prey broke apart within seconds, its shields already weakened from the asteroids. The second suffered a torpedo strike from the two K'Tingas. The entire front end of the ship exploded, leaving the rear end tumbling without power.

The K'Vort Birds of Prey were next, coming out of the field at full speed and racing towards the Guenidier. Disruptors and phasers fired unabated, shields holding on both sides to defend the ships. The Kvor'rah moved forward, its phasers and disruptors lacing the K'Vorash fleet. A K'Vort exploded under the onslaught.

The Guenidier turned back towards the asteroid field, ignoring the Birds of Prey all around, just as the two Vorcha cruisers exited the field. Both DFP cannons on the Guenidier began to glow, slowly powering up. The two Vorcha cruisers turned to face it. One beam of light shot out right before the other. The beams missed, passing the Vorcha and eventually dispersing into space.

An arc of electricity burst from the cannon, refracting off the shields and back onto the hull of the Guenidier. The beams of harnessed energy missed their target, the energy discharge causing a surge in the impulse engines. The energy crawled along the hull, finally coming to the point where it smashed into the warp nacelles.

The Guenidier fell, falling from its mighty position in space and down to the asteroid. Power flickered once, twice, as the crew desperately tried to regain control. Gravity proved to be stronger than a lifeless ship. Just before crashing, the maneuvering thrusters fired, tilting the saucer section upwards and slowing the fall.

Slowly, the asteroid dust drifted back down on top of the Guenidier, obscuring its name plates and registry. The glow on the warp nacelles faded to blackness and one by one the lights on the ship blinked out, leaving the only illumination on the ship to come from the distant sun at the heart of the system.

Stray disruptor shots impacted the ground nearby, peppering the asteroid with craters. In space there was no noise. An observer would not notice the battle overhead, only the occasional fireball that took the place of rain on a lifeless asteroid...

XXX

Sean didn't realize he was holding his breath. The Bridge was dark, even the emergency lighting shut down. There was total silence throughout the ship as it hovered mere millimeters off the ground. The only noise was the soft humming of the maneuvering thrusters causing the frame of the ship to vibrate. If the Klingons didn't buy their deception, then the ship would be destroyed before it had a chance to power back up.

They waited. Seconds turned to minutes of silence. The only noise was that of the occasional breath. No one dared to talk. No one dared to even look at each other. In the total blackness there was nothing to see.

There was a beep, followed by the sudden return of the emergency lighting. Sean glanced down at his armrest console. On the LCARS screen was the final command to power the ship completely back up, in bold flashing letters. He glanced at his watch, illuminated in the darkness. It was time. He entered his command code, and sent the command to power the ship back up.

There was a brief hum, followed by the sudden return of full lighting. The ship immediately switched over to condition red. It was time.

"Send a burst transmission." Sean said softly. "It's time."

The Guendier's thrusters lifted the ship up and it raced back up into space, towards the rear of the Kt'vantok fleet. So far, the Negh'var battleship had stayed out of the battle, leaving itself vulnerable to attack. The three K'vort Birds of Prey from the K'vorash fleet decloaked and formed up beside the Guenidier, one above, the other two below and two either side.

The four ship group raced for the Negh'var, broadcasting the identification of IKS Kt'va, the command ship. The Guenidier slowed when it came into weapons range. The blue light appeared in the very back of the DFP cannons. That light expanded and pulsated, eventually causing the cannons to glow with harnessed energy.

At the last second, the K'vort Birds of Prey opened fire with disruptor fire and photon torpedoes. The shields on the Kt'va reflected the energy, but glowed from the sudden impact of weapons fire.

The Guenidier's shields dropped for a split second, and twin beams of blue light shot out into the Kt'va. Electrical discharges arced along them and straight into the rear shields of the battleship. A split second after the DFP cannons completely discharged, the shields on the Kt'va failed. The last bit of energy left deep scorch marks in the hull of the giant battleship.

The Guenidier fired four photon torpedoes immediately after, taking advantage of the Kt'va crew's surprise. The torpedoes impacted the giant ship's engines, blasting the entire rear compartment into space. The K'vort Birds of Prey continued to fire, hammering the giant ship with constant disruptor fire.

There was no exchange, the Kt'va's rear torpedo banks had been blasted away with the engines. The rear disruptors were not getting power as EPS relays and power junctions blew out across the ship. The Guenidier moved closer, its phasers digging deeper into the damaged battleship. Within a few seconds, the Kt'va's warp reactor breached and the entire ship exploded from the inside out with a titanic fireball.

Kate jumped up in the air as the massive ship exploded. "We did it!"

"Good job." Sean finally allowed himself to relax. "Now let's go help General Kras."

"It appears that battle is already resolving itself." Klena said, gesturing to the absence of weapons fire before them on the viewscreen.

"We're being hailed by General Kras." Kate smiled.

"On screen."

The image on the viewscreen changed to show General Kras. There was a cut running down the side his face, but the toothy smile he flashed and the glint of fire in his eyes proved to Sean that the General was more than alive, he was livid with victory. "Captain, your efforts on our behalf have secured us victory. When their command ship was destroyed by your inferior force, they were almost pathetic in their attempts to flee."

"We were glad to be of help General."

"I invite you and your crew to a celebration tonight in the palace on K'vorash, this is a momentous occasion. We should celebrate."

"We would be happy to join you General, I just hope you have some non-Klingon dishes for the ... less adventurous of my crew."

"It shall be done Captain." Kras clapped his hands together. "From one warrior to another I salute you!"

XXX

The celebration on K'vorash easily spilled over beyond the walls of the Palace and into the crowded streets of Ki'vor, lit by torch light and smelling of bloodwine, everywhere they went Klingon saluted them as true warriors.

Sean tried not let it go to his head, and was glad he had given the order for everyone to refrain from drinking the bloodwine, all except Mor'tah. Mark found the large banquet table, and after a short period of dismay, managed to put a plate together and was in the process of setting his phaser as Sean walked up.

"The gagh is moving right?" Sean asked.

"Where's the stuff that was supposed to be cooked?" Mark shook his head. "But they're Klingons, what do you expect?" He aimed his phaser at the plate.

Sean glanced at the steaming cups of liquid. "One of these is bahgol, Klingon tea." He muttered to himself. "I'm just not certain which one."

"It is this one." General Kras said, coming from behind Sean and picking up a cup from the table. He handed it to him. "I trust you will enjoy it."

Mark quickly put his phaser back into his pocket.

"Beware, it has a strong kick." Mor'tah said with a toothy grin.

Sean took a careful sip. Immediately he could feel a powerful jolt as the first drops of flavor hit is tongue, exploding in a fiery cascade. "Delicious."

"I have been speaking with my son and he tells me you wish to pass through the Neutral Zone and into the unknown regions of the Beta quadrant." Kras said diplomatically.

"Yes, that is our eventual destination."

"With all the stirrings on Qo'noS, I recommend that you avoid any more contact with Klingons if you can."

"Why is that General?"

Kras filled his cup from the container of bloodwine. "Two hours ago we received a general order from the Klingon High Command. If the starship Guenidier is spotted, they are to be destroyed."

Sean did his best to hide his reaction, but the sudden halt to his attempt to drink his bahgol said otherwise. "And what are your intentions General?"

"I trust my son's judgment, and my house is loyal to me. Our honor also demands that we defend you, for you have fought by our sides in battle." Kras downed his bloodwine. "I would recommend however that you recall all of your crew and leave as soon as you can."

Sean activated his commbadge. "Klena, begin recalling all our people from the surface. Don't ask, just do it." He turned to face General Kras. "What will you say about our involvement here?"

"I will say nothing. There is no evidence of your passing besides the words of a few dishonored traitors who have elaborate tails of a Federation starship armed with extraordinary weapons. I do however, have one gift for you."

The General gestured to a large crate being wheeled towards them. "Inside you will find a cloaking device from my personal flagship. I recommend that you pass through Romulan space to reach your destination. This device will enable you to get there."

"Mark, can you work with this?" Sean asked.

"There's only one way to find out." Mark replied.

"I wish you luck Captain." Kras said. "May I have the pleasure of meeting you one day in the halls of Stovo'kor."

Sean nodded. "Guenidier, two plus a large crate to beam up." He set his hand on the crate as the beams of light passed over him.

XXX

The red lighting from the nebula cast a glow on the mess hall, especially with the lights off. Sean took a sip from his tea, watching the gases swirl and dance outside the ship. Somewhere, deep within the field, there was a light source. An obscured ball of white was just barely visible. Maybe someday, this Nebula would be home to a new star.

Mark entered, walking to the window where Sean stood. "The cloaking device is barely compatible, but with the Klingon specifications I'll be able to get it working."

"Good." Sean said softly, taking another sip from his tea.

"However, the system drains an extraordinary amount of power; I won't be able to give you more than warp four."

"Is there anyway to get better speed?"

"Not with the Klingon cloak." Mark shook his head. "If we had a Romulan cloak like the Defiant, then it probably would. But the Klingon technology is inefficient and looks like it has changed little in two hundred years."

"Then we proceed at warp four." Sean sighed. "And now we know that Klingons have been convinced that we're hostiles."

"The only reason anyone would do that is if they'd lost track of us." Mark closed his eyes. "It seems to me, that we're almost in the clear."

"General Kras talked about stirrings on Qo'noS, as if something was happening there too." Sean took a deep breath, his eyes remaining fixated on the gases before him. "I think that we may not be the center of whatever is going on. I think something bigger is happening."

"It's hard to believe that the stirrings on Qo'noS and the... strange events at Starfleet Command are not related."

"I just hope we're not looking at some massive political takeover. Something like that could forever change this quadrant, and not in a good way."

Mark crossed his arms. "We'll just have to wait and see. Good night Sean." He quietly left the room.

Sean watched the gases outside swirl. "We'll have to wait and see."


	7. Mx07 And Into the Depths

"Dang..." Sean muttered, smelling the arid stench of burning toast drift past him and into the rest of the mess hall. He grabbed the toast anyway, sticking it on his tray and pulled up a seat next to Kate.

The corners of her mouth curved upwards into a smile. "Morning Captain."

Sean nodded. "Morning Kate." He noticed the charred waffle on her plate. "The replicator burn your food too?"

She nodded, then shrugged. "Yeah, no problem though. I like my waffles a bit crispy." She took a bite. Her expression soured for a second as she chewed. "Though it would help if I had gotten syrup instead of peanut butter."

Sean laughed, taking a bite out of his toast. The stars slowly passed by the front window of the Guenidier. They had been cloaked for three hours, at warp two.

"If this works, are we gonna keep the cloak ready to go?" Kate forked a piece of her waffle.

Sean took a bite of his toast. "I don't like how it compromises our warp capability."

"Well... granted." Kate shrugged. "It is helpful to be invisible. We won't be able to outrun everything."

Sean drummed his fingers on the table. The cloak made him feel vulnerable. "Anything capable of outrunning us is capable of detecting us while cloaked." He glanced up at her. "And I just don't see that as an option."

Kate nodded. "It does feel weird." She smiled. "I mean, I can't imagine our ship not being visible from the outside."

Sean took another bite of charred toast. It wasn't really bad, but it was certainly well done. "Believe me Kate; no one is more unnerved by this than I am."

Mark set his tray down next to Sean. "I've finally got a good progress report for you."

Sean set his charred toast down. "Alright, let's hear it."

Mark pulled a datapad from his uniform pocket. "The warp fields need to be balanced manually until we can develop an algorithm to keep them in check. I've got William working on it."

"And our cloak?" Kate asked, emphasis on cloak.

"It's draining a ton of power, but other than that it's operating right at peak efficiency. This isn't a Klingon vessel, so the cloak isn't exactly interfacing properly with the EPS system."

"How much power are we draining, we still have all critical systems right?"

"I've had to pull some power from sensors and life support, but both are still functioning well enough to support our needs. I also powered down most of Deck 15, 14, and 9."

"Okay, let me know if we have any serious complications," Sean said.

"I will. We shouldn't have any problems."

"Of course there wasn't a course at Starfleet Academy with the subject, _Integrating Klingon Cloaking Devices in Starfleet Ship Systems_."

"Would that be ENG-K246 or just KLI-3246?" Mark smirked. "Yeah, if the Romulan's catch us we'll be crisper than your toast."

"Speaking of my toast... can you do something about that?" Sean gestured to his breakfast.

"What?" His gaze slowly traced Sean's gesture to his own breakfast, "How did the replicators manage to burn CEREAL of all things?"

Kate snorted. "You just noticed!"

"Have I been eating this the whole time?"

"Yes Mark, you have." Sean gestured to the spoon sitting in the blackened cereal.

"Dang..." Mark shook his head, and then looked back at Sean. "Yeah, we'll get on it as soon as we can."

"Now eat your cereal." Sean said with a laugh, eating a piece of burnt toast. "It's gonna be a long day."

XXX

Sean stood near a panel in his ready room; a tactical map glowed with an ambient green hue from the pad in his hands. On it, a long line of green dots signified the Klingon-Romulan boarder. A blue line showed the path of a comet wandering through the sector that might give away their position if they passed through its tail. He traced the red line that showed the Guenidier's course with his finger. Satisfied with the integrity of their course he sat down at his desk and picked up the model of the Sabre class Guenidier. His former ship still held a special place in his heart.

He had attempted to brighten the tone of his ready room by placing a couple trinkets around the room. A batleth hung on one of the walls, a gift from General Kras found in the crate with the cloak. He wouldn't be the first captain to have a Klingon batleth in his ready room, though he was probably one of the few with a real one. He would have to teach himself a bit about how to use it some time.

A tremor passed through the hull, bringing Sean back to the first time he had given the order to go to warp on the old Guenidier. The thrill had never faded, even to this day. He set the model down on his desk and suddenly realized the tremor hadn't been a memory.

Startled back to reality, and attempting to regain his bearings, Sean quickly noticed that the stars had stopped streaking across his windows. He clambered out from behind his desk, regained his composure, and walked onto the Bridge.

"Status?"

Mark's voice interrupted any response. "Bridge, we've got a problem."

"We're not at warp anymore." Sean knew he was stating the obvious.

"I don't know what's happened yet, but the nacelles just cut out. The good news: the core's still running so we're cloaked, the bad news: it's gonna take us a little while to find the problem and fix it. Until then we won't be going anywhere fast."

"Keep me informed." Sean turned to Erica. "Navigation?"

"We've got full impulse control and..." Erica entered a few commands into her console. "...we're still on course."

"Tactical?" Sean turned to Nathan. "Same as before?"

"Weapons are still off line," Nathan replied. "The DFP cannons aren't fully charged, but we'd have to decloak to use them anyway."

"Kate, what about the patrolling Warbirds?" Sean asked, coming full circle. "Any chance they detected our warp field collapsing."

"There's a single Warbird approximately one hundred thousand kilometers behind us." Kate turned around to check the console behind her. "But I'm not seeing any change in their alert status. I think we got away clean."

Sean took a deep breath. "Klena, suggestions?" He glanced at her.

"We should be able to maintain speed, but we should keep a greater distance from any patrolling Warbirds."

Sean nodded. "Erica, maintain course and speed." He sat down. "Keep us at a minimum distance of fifty thousand kilometers from any patrolling ships."

"I can do that." Erica sighed. "What about the cloaked ships?"

"There's nothing we can do about them." Sean leaned back and crossed his arms. "The sooner we get warp drive back the better."

XXX

_Time Without Warp: 2 hours 7 minutes_

A knot formed in Sean's stomach as he glanced at the flashing blue lights in the corridor on his way to the Bridge. The damage was more extensive than Mark had originally thought, and even with the Engineer working non-stop, the warp engines had not come back on-line.

Without the hum of the warp engines, the ship was utterly silent. Only the occasional hiss interrupted the silence when a door opened. Sean stepped into the turbolift.

"Bridge."

The turbolift whirred as a couple decks went by uneventfully. The quiet humming soothed the knot in his stomach, even though the relief would only be temporary.

Klena interrupted the silence as he walked out of the turbolift. "Captain on the Bridge."

Erica glanced over her shoulder. "How bad is it?"

"Bad," Sean replied. "Mark's conscripted a few other crewmen to help him."

"Captain," Kate said. "Over the last hour I've been detecting a slowly increasing number of Romulan ships in the region."

"Does it look like a search pattern?"

"No," Nathan replied. "They haven't made any tactical moves since entering the area, they just seem to be patrolling the boarder, but no region of the border should have this many ships in it."

Sean placed his hand on the rail behind his seat. "Erica, is there any way to keep more distance between us and them?"

"I'm trying sir," Erica replied. "But with the number of ships it's impossible."

"Do your best."

A slight tremor ran through the ship, almost like the tremor when the ship went to warp. Another tremor shook the deck plating. Sean gripped the handrail. "Report?"

"Spatial charges," Nathan said. "They've been doing that for a while now but that last one's the closest yet."

"Doing what?" Sean asked.

"Do you remember that comet we were avoiding?"

"Yeah, the ship's presence in the tail would cause a detectable physical disturbance, a hole in the otherwise mundane dust field, what about it?"

A low rumble rolled across the bridge, a charge in the distance.

"I believe the Romulans are trying something similar, a slow but effective tactic. They'll set off charges till something unseen, like us, disrupts the blast field of the charge. For now only the shockwaves are hitting us and the cloak compensates for that kind of disturbance."

Another rumble, louder than the last, caused a brief pause in the conversation.

"And the shockwaves aren't dangerous?" Kate timidly inquired from operations.

"At their current range the waves only have enough power to cause a tremor or two but should one get close enough," Nathan shook his head, "then they'll deal out some significant damage."

"So we're ok for now." Sean reassured Kate, now with a confused furrow in her brow and a worried look in her eyes, "Erica, increase to full impulse and get us out of the area they're blasting."

"Plotting a course 47 mark 25."

XXX

There was a soft tremor as a shockwave impacted the ship. It was followed by a massive crash from the cargo bay. The door opened to Sean's presence. An entire shelf of cargo containers came crashing to the ground, bouncing on the hard metal floor until they hit the nearby wall.

"What's going on in here?" Sean shouted, running into the bay.

"Sorry Sir, I managed to secure the torpedoes in a makeshift crash restraint." Austin replied, picking up one of the containers. The tools depot officer also managed the cargo bays. "Tricia's working in the other cargo bay."

Sean hauled the fallen crate over to where Austin had set up another set of crash webbing. "Good, how are you doing?"

A soft tremor rumbled through the ship, knocking a few more containers off the shelf.

"I'm getting sick of falling cargo containers." Austin forced a false smile.

Sean fastened the crate into the webbing. "Engineering is trying to find the problem. You need any more help?"

"Negative Captain" Austin shook his head in a definite negative. "I know we don't have anyone that isn't already busy trying to keep this ship in one piece."

Sean dived to the ground as a massive tremor rocked the ship, overloading the inertial dampeners and sending everything not tied down in the cargo bay flying once more. One of the pieces of debris crashed into Austin, knocking him to the floor with a bone shattering impact.

Sean swore, crawling back to his feet. "Bridge, status?"

"A spatial charge detonated one hundred kilometers from the ship," Klena replied. "The charge had an explosive yield greater than any of the other charges."

"I'll be back up to the Bridge in a minute, is there enough power to transport crewman Mills to Sickbay?"

"No sir," Kate replied. "They were taken off line when the cloak was turned on."

"Alright, I'll get him to sickbay myself, alert Lshan." Sean grabbed Austin and hauled him back up to his feet. "Come on crewman, we'll get you to sickbay."

Another tremor ran through the ship just as Sean managed to get out of the cargo bay. He could hear the crashing and banging of cargo containers in the distance. He kept moving. They had to keep moving.

XXX

"Access Denied." The computer's artificial voice said evenly.

Mark knew it was mocking him. He rolled over so that he was facing the EPS relay the computer had identified. The warp plasma conduits were just beyond the walls of this jefferies tube. Normally they would be humming with the flow of warp plasma, they were silent.

The computer had sealed the warp conduits as a result of the burned out relay. The relay was a hardware backup for the warp conduit's control system. If not carefully regulated, the nacelles could easily explode from an overflow of warp plasma or if the magnetic containment failed, then the conduit itself could explode.

"Now if I could just manage to get the computer on my side..." Mark mumbled, talking more to himself than to anyone else.

"Access Denied."

"Alright, you want to play that game?" Mark smirked as if engaged in a dual with someone he knew he could beat. "There's got to be a manual override here somewhere...aha!"

Mark pulled the panel free from the housing. "What?" He yanked out his engineering tricorder and quickly ran a scan of the pristine relay housing. There was no trace of damage, and according to the tricorder there was no damage either.

That meant that the controls for the warp plasma conduits were working. The warp conduits themselves were undamaged, along with the EPS relays governing them. Eight years of Starfleet experience left him baffled.

He activated his commbadge. "Will, check the computer again, you sure it's junction 21-Beta?"

"That's what it..." William's voice trailed off. "This can't be right."

"What now?"

"The computer is now saying its junction 42-Alpha, but that's all the way up in DFP cannon control."

"Run a diagnostic, I'm coming back down the engineering for a bit." Mark placed the panel back on the relay and started slowly crawling back out of the jefferies tube.

Mark pushed the hatch open and crawled back out into the corridor. He picked up his toolbox and headed for the turbolift. The cloak was causing almost more trouble than it was worth. Of course, the interface hooking it up the shield emitters was a mismatch of parts cobbled together from the available parts on board, so it was just as well that it worked at all.

XXX

"DANG!" Nathan said. "We have one D'deridex Warbird decloaking directly astern."

"Visual."

The image on the viewscreen showed the Warbird just short of the Guenidier's invisible warp nacelles. Sean's stomach lurched and he instinctively ducked as charges shot out of the forward photon torpedo launchers of the Warbird and raced pass the ship.

"Did they locate us?" Klena asked as another tremor, the strongest by far, ran through the ship.

"They haven't," Kate replied. "Not yet..."

"Nathan, what's the status of the weapons?" Sean asked.

"I can have phasers and photon torpedoes ready as soon as we decloak, but we're no match for that Warbird without the cannons, and they're only at 50."

The ship shook again. "If we don't get out of here soon, those charges are going to tear us apart, and then it won't matter if they know where we are." Kate shouted as the consoles around her sparked.

"I think that's their goal!" Sean said without a trace of humor.

"I'm rerouting power to the structural integrity field from life support." Nathan said. "Hopefully it'll hold us together for just a bit longer."

"Spatial charges incoming, port side!" Kate yelled.

The ship rattled as the charges detonated. Sean gripped the armrests of his chair, suddenly wondering why starships didn't have safety harnesses to keep the crew in their seats. Sean glanced back at Nathan. "Is there any way to strengthen the hull plating?"

Another charge detonated near the ship, but still far enough away to only rattle the ship again. "Not that I know of," Nathan replied.

"Captain I need the power from life support for the impulse engines." Erica said as the ship shook again as more charges exploded nearby. "I think I can get us clear in a few seconds."

Sean nodded.

Several tense seconds passed as Erica frantically worked the helm to keep the Geunidier out of the way of spatial charges. Finally, she slumped back in her chair. "We're far enough away so that there's no chance that they can catch us, at least for now."

"Good work Erica." Sean said, finally taking his seat. "Keep us on course."

_Time Without Warp: 4 hours 27 minutes_

"Deck 8, cannon control," Mark said as he stepped into the turbolift, finally having abandoned his efforts to talk sense into the computer. For the last two hours it had registered the problem as being in four different places, a bio-neural gel pack just outside engineering, an isolinear chip on Deck 15, on the computer in crewman Wales quarters, and finally back in DFP cannon control. Since it had returned to the cannon control for the second time, there was a chance that the system was the problem.

He leaned against the wall of the turbolift as it raced through the ship. The installation of the DFP cannons had resulted in a restructuring of the deck, mainly to make room for the capacitors, fortunately, this junction wouldn't involve crawling through a jefferies tube.

He stepped out of the turbolift into the darkened hallway. The nearest door opened to reveal the control room for the DFP cannons and their capacitors. Further down the hall, the capacitors themselves were each built into the space once occupied by a set of officer's quarters.

He accessed the computer and entered his command code.

"Access Granted." The computer chimed in reply.

"Maybe it's learned its lesson from the last time..."

Mark accessed the power control systems and ran a quick diagnostic. The cannons used a tremendous amount of power, the capacitors allowed the ship to fire them without shutting power down from other key systems. A successful discharge required directing energy from the capacitors to the cannon. A short in the system could prove disastrous while a break would just prevent them from working. Either way, any malfunction in these systems was probably fatal.

"No malfunctions detected. All system operations are operating within normal parameters." The computer chimed.

Mark activated his commbadge. "Will, the system up here is fine, there's no leak."

"It still says it's in that junction." William replied. "But I doubt the computer knows what's going on any more than we do."

"Agreed." Mark sighed. "I'm going to crawl into the jefferies tube and find the EPS tap up here. Keep me informed."

Just across the hall was the jefferies tube junction room. Mark crawled into the cramped tube. Half way down, right above the capacitor, was the EPS tap. He pulled the panel free and scanned it with his tricorder.

"Commander, the Captain would like a 'good answer'," Klena said, obviously quoting Sean.

Mark flinched and rammed his head into the jefferies tube ceiling. He placed his right hand on his head and hissed in pain. Sometimes one had to wonder why they were called easy access tubes in Starfleet academy engineering courses. "I don't have any."

Mark set the panel back on the tap, and then quickly pulled himself out of the tube, still clutching his injured head. "I physically checked the EPS relays and the warp plasma conduits in Engineering, there's nothing wrong with them. I also followed the computer's internal scans and came up here to check on the EPS taps. There's nothing wrong with any of them."

"Then we are, as I believe you would say, toast," Klena said.

Mark frowned. "That shouldn't have anything to do with it... they're two separate systems... unless..."

The thought hit him like that incident with the flight simulator back in the academy. Except this was far less painful, and wouldn't result in him having to explain to the headmaster how he managed to invert the entire simulator... piloting had never been a strong suit.

"Unless what Commander?" Klena asked, fixing him with a stare.

Mark didn't even notice the pain in his head anymore, much less her stare. "Tell the Captain I've got a lead and I'll brief you later!" Mark ran out of the jefferies tube junction room. He had a theory to test.

XXX

"Commander Turner believes he is making adequate progress," Klena said, taking her seat next to Sean.

Sean smiled. "Somehow I doubt he phrased it like that, but I get the message." His smile vanished as he glanced at the viewscreen. "Kate, how far away are those Warbirds?"

The viewscreen was filled with a fleet of four Warbirds in the distance. They were flying perpendicular to the Guenidier. Sean had only seen that many Warbirds in one formation in the revised Kobayashi Maru scenario at Starfleet Academy. No Starfleet captain had seen that many at once and lived to tell about it.

"Erica, alter course away from..." Sean's voice trailed off as a Warbird decloaked directly before them.

"Warbird." Kate whispered, her eyes widening as she stared at the massive vessel rapidly closing with them.

"I can have weapons in ten seconds," Nathan said. "With their shields down we could disable them in one pass."

"No," Sean said. "We give away our position now and it's over."

"If we pass by them that close to their outer hull then we'll be detected by their proximity sensors." Kate's voice was rapidly rising in pitch.

"What about passing in between the double hull?" Erica glanced over her shoulder at Sean.

"They don't have proximity sensors on the inside of the hull!"

"Do it," Sean said, holding his breath as the ship slowly adjusted course. In the dead silence of the Bridge his voice carried to every station.

As the Warbird grew larger and larger in the viewscreen, small details became visible. Individual hull plates on the ship could be seen. More detail than any simulation contained. The amazing size of the Warbird suffocated the tiny Guendier.

If Kate was wrong, and the Warbirds actually had proximity sensors on the inside of their double hull, then they would have been easily detected with the only saving grace being that the Warbird would not be able to fire immediately.

Sean finally exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding as they cleared the hull of the Warbird. "Rear view."

The image on the viewscreen changed to show the Warbird rapidly shrinking as it gained distance from the Guenidier.

"Any chance they detected us?" Sean asked Kate.

"They didn't," Kate said. "The Warbird is still moving away and their shields and weapons are still offline."

"We needed a miracle," Sean said. "Looks like we just got one." He sat back in his chair. "Erica, navigate around those Warbirds and let's not have another one of those close calls again."

"Yes sir," Erica replied.

XXX

"Will, I've got an idea!" Mark said as he ran into Engineering, frantically pushing a pile of Pads off the console then operating the console at speeds rivaling an android.

William looked up from his console, attempting to figure out what Mark was doing. "The computer diagnostic came back clean."

"It's not a computer problem." More lights and buttons flashed on the console. Mark's attention remained glued to the console.

"Then what is it?" William said, spinning around in his chair to face Mark.

"The cloak is draining an enormous amount of power from the ship, warp drive does the same thing, hence why we can only go a maximum of warp 4."

"I follow you," William said, comprehension dawning on his face.

"The replicators are a secondary system and small overloads were discharged towards them. The frequency of the energy wave in the cloaking device is causing the interference..."

"...and then when we had a big enough overload, the secondary system buffer wasn't enough, and the warp drive shut down as a failsafe to protect the ship." William finished. "Could it really be that simple?"

"That caused the failure, now we have to prevent it before the computer will give us warp drive back." Mark finally looked up from the console. "We need to match the frequency of the energy flow from the feedback of the cloaking device with the replicator energy use."

"That'll take a rewrite of the algorithms governing those systems," William said.

"Then let's not waste any time," Mark replied, sitting down at the station next to him.

XXX

"Something isn't right," Kate said.

Sean glanced over at her. "What's wrong Kate?"

Kate reset the image on the viewscreen to the tactical map. "There are no Warbirds on sensors anymore."

"None?" Nathan asked.

"So far, since we dropped out of warp there's been a steady stream of Romulan ships patrolling the boarder." Kate took a deep breath. "There are none in sensor range right now."

"They are most likely cloaked," Klena said. "That does not mean they detected us."

Sean frowned. "True, but it's not par for the course so far. Nathan, what's the status on the cannons?"

"They're charged, we can fire immediately after decloaking," Nathan replied.

He activated his comm badge. "Mark, do we have warp yet?"

"We've isolated the problem; I still need more time to fix it though." Mark's voice emanated from the commbadge.

"I think we're running out of time," Sean said, watching the stars move as the Guenidier slowly continued on.

A silence descended on the Bridge. The only noise came from the consoles. The pit of Sean's stomach slowly churned in response to the silence. He knew Romulan ships were about. He knew they were being watched for, even if the Romulans didn't know exactly where they were; it was only a matter of time.

"INCOMING!" Kate shouted.

A second later a spatial charge detonated just short of the Guendier's bow. The explosions sent shrapnel hurtling in all directions. Several large chunks impacted the hull of the Guenidier. The rattling could be heard through every hallway and deck of the ship.

"Erica, evasive maneuvers," Sean ordered.

"Incoming spatial charges, bearing 061 mark 21." Kate's hands flew across her console. Additional charges, bearing 310 mark 90."

"I can't evade them all!" Erica replied, her voice pitch rising.

"Do your best." Sean glanced back at Nathan. "Do everything you can to reinforce structural integrity."

The ship rattled as the charges detonated only a handful of kilometers away from the exposed hull plating. Shrapnel once again slammed into the hull. Sparks flew from the viewscreen, and Erica raised her hand to shield her eyes from them.

"Incoming, bearing 190 mark 0!" Kate glanced at the console behind her. "Additional contacts, bearing 50 mark 5."

"Locate those ships!" Sean yelled as another charge detonated even closer to the ship. Additional sparks flew from the console behind him. "Mark, we need warp power!"

"I'm working on it!" Mark replied. "We're almost ready!"

"It's not like there's any pressure Mark." Sean gripped the edges of his armrest. "Come on Erica, get us out of this."

"Romulan Warbirds, three of them decloaking!" Nathan announced. "They're firing!"

The disruptor shots impacted the ship. Without shields, the hull plating melted under the firepower. The consoles behind Sean exploded, sending debris flying in all directions. The alarms began wailing in earnest, the damage control reports started coming in to his arm rest console.

"We're coming apart at the seams!" Nathan yelled over the alarms and exploding consoles.

"Drop the cloak!" Sean yelled. "Shields up. Target the lead Warbird."

The Guenidier decloaked, the Warbirds opened fire with all their forward disruptor banks. In just enough time to shield the ship from the disruptors, the shields came up to deflect them. The ship shuddered under the impact but the hull remained undamaged.

"Fire!"

Blue beams of light shot out from the cannons and impacted the nose of the Warbird directly in front of the Guenidier. The shields held on the Warbird for only a second before collapsing. The beams continued, slamming into the forward hull plating. Less than half a second later the beams dissipated.

Sean activated his commbadge. "MARK, WE NEED WARP NOW!"

"I JUST NEED ANOTHER FEW SECONDS!" Mark replied.

"They're cloaking." Kate's voice cleared the alarms.

"Erica, get us out of here, maximum speed." Sean clutched his armrests as the disruptor fire shock the ship constantly.

"Two more, directly in the front of us!" Kate shrieked.

"Erica, bring us below them, Nathan fire!" Sean stared at the Warbirds as they rapidly filled the view screen, watching as they passed overhead. If there had been a window on top of the bridge they could've seen them.

"Phasers are only marginally effective." Nathan yelled over the alarms as consoles sparked and flickered all around them. "We're not going to be able to bring down their shields."

"We just need to hold them off for a few more minutes." Sean hoped Mark would give them some good news sooner than that.

"Shields down to 15 percent!" Nathan shouted as the console behind him exploded in a shower of sparks. He ducked, avoiding the brunt of it but grimaced as he stood back up.

"BRIDGE, WE'VE GOT IT!" Mark's voice boomed from the ship intercom system. That meant only one thing...

"Erica, set course deeper into Romulan space, maximum warp!"

The Guenidier's warp nacelles locked into warp position and the ship raced away, leaving the Warbird behind, if only for a few seconds.

"Why deeper?" Erica asked, spinning around in her chair less than a second after the ship entered warp.

"We can outrun them at maximum warp, but we need to lose them so we can get across the boarder without getting ambushed." Sean quickly glanced over his shoulder at the destroyed consoles behind him. "Kate, how much distance do we have from them?"

"Five hundred thousand kilometers and rising." Kate replied her breathing ragged from the adrenaline. A single line of sweat ran down the side of her forehead.

"Nathan, standby to cloak the ship. Kate, prep a warp probe and set it to emit our warp signature. Erica, prepare to execute a warp turn back towards the border."

"The probe is loading." Kate replied. "Launch?"

Sean took a deep breath. "Hang on to something. Execute."

The Guenidier vanished just as the probe launched, sailing away at its previous speed. The Guenidier drifted inside its warp bubble slowly losing speed as the warp power shifted to the cloaking device.

There was no evidence of the Guenidier's turn, the Romulan ships raced after the probe. They would not notice that it was only a probe until they got closer. By that time, the Guenidier would be long gone.

XXX

For the first time in hours, silence prevailed over the bridge. The soft beeping of consoles was the only noise. The dimmed lighting didn't seem as hostile as it had been only hours before. Sean took a deep breath.

Klena handed him a datapad as she returned to her seat next to him. "The damage report."

"Thanks Klena." Sean quickly scanned the report. He shook his head as he reached the casualties section. "Three severely injured crewman, two minor."

"There were no fatalities." Klena said quietly. "You may take comfort in that."

Sean nodded. "At least the damage is mostly superficial, a few burnt out consoles, lots of charred hull plating. We can fix it."

"Indeed."

"We're approaching the boarder." Erica said, breaking the somber mood with the joy of some good news

"You can forget about those Romulans," Mark said, slowly walking out of the turbolift and stopping at the handrail running along the back of the Bridge. "And you can forget about those problems with the warp system and the cloak, shouldn't happen again."

"Good work Mark," Sean said, a smile coming to his face. "You're just in time too."

"We made it?" Mark asked.

"In just a few minutes," Sean said. "You never did explain what was causing the problem?"

"The replicators, the cloak, and the warp drive didn't interact well." Mark smirked. "It was a relatively simple problem, I just never thought to look at it, cause the only connections to those systems is in the power grid."

"Interesting," Sean said. "I want a full report tomorrow."

"You'll have it." Mark took a seat at the auxiliary engineering station.

"Captain, we've cleared Romulan space," Erica said, glancing back at Sean from the helm. "Shall I drop to impulse?"

Sean shook his head. "Not yet." He glanced around the Bridge. "You all know why we came here, to escape. I know, it doesn't bring us any closer to our goals, but in time, we'll be able to return. Hopefully, by then those who wanted us dead will be distracted, and we'll be able to expose them. For now, we continue on our journey. Boldly going where no one has gone before."

Kate quietly clapped her hands together. "To all of us."

Nathan joined her. "To us all."

Sean smiled as the rest of the Bridge crewed joined in, himself included. The odds had been against them, but they had managed to pass through Romulan space, and they'd done it without being severely damaged. And now there was a whole galaxy before them. Anything was possible.

"Course Captain?" Erica asked as the applause subsided.

"That one," Sean pointed at a star in the center of the viewscreen. "Keep going until we get there."

"Aye sir" Erica replied.

XXX

Sean sat down on his bed, his eyes tracing the invisible lines between the unfamiliar stars outside his window. He knew, somewhere among the stars resided the United Federation of Planet, Starfleet, the Klingons, and even the Romulans. For now, he knew that the Guenidier was in a region of space Starfleet had never entered, a place Starfleet probably never would.

"Computer, begin recording."

_Captain's log, Stardate 70992.1_

_We're on our own. Before now we could always turn back, stay away from the Beta quadrant. However, at this point there is no turning back. For all I know, I could be leading my crew into the jaws of death. But staying here is a worse fate. We are being hunted. We need to vanish, rebuild our strength, before we can return and find out who is behind the conspiracy. _

_There is nothing I can do about it now. We're but one ship, and we'll need allies before we can ever put the pieces back together again. We also need their guard to be down. If we disappear, then they will not expect our return, and that will be our advantage. For all I know I may very well be leading my crew into their greatest hour. The Beta Quadrant awaits._

_Space, the Final Frontier_

_These are the voyages of the Starship Guenidier_

_Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds_

_To seek out new life and new civilizations,_

_To boldly go where no one has gone before._


	8. 1x01 New Life

Two moons rise above the tree line as Mark, crouched around a fire, feeds it with a few nearby logs. The heat spreads out in all directions from the focal point. Gradually, it warms his finger tips against the cool breeze of the night. The water from the nearby lake crashes wave upon wave on to the shore.

He reaches into the pack at his feet, pulling out a canteen. Taking a drink of water from it, he remembers countless campfires from his youth, spending weekends with his family out in the wilderness with little but a tent and a fire. Sometimes he wonders why he didn't just stay there.

Grabbing a marshmallow from a small bag at his feet he places it on the end of a twig, the end already blackened from the flame. He smiles and holds the marshmallow close to the embers, allowing it to turn a golden brown as the heat caramelizes the outside and warms the inside. He rotates it slowly, letting the heat embrace the entire marshmallow equally. Slowly, the outside of it becomes brown. He smiles and withdraws the now amber colored marshmallow, placing it delicately on a cracker with a chocolate wafer. The heat of the marshmallow spreads to the chocolate, melting it as well. The two merge, forming a s'more. Satisfied with the condition of his snack and just about to take a bite; his commbadge beeps and a voice emanates from it.

"Mark, you're needed on the Bridge," Sean's voice breaks the solitude.

Mark looks at his fire one last time, which painfully reminds him that he is on the holodeck. He sighs and stands up. "Computer end program."

The forest, the fire, the water, and everything vanishes in an instant. What remains is the intricate series of holoemitters that line the walls of Holodeck 2. He approaches the single door and steps out into the hallway. He passes a single crewman on his way to the Bridge. The ship remains nearly deserted, a crew of 50 manning a ship meant for 150, a situation unlikely to change.

"Bridge," stepping into the tubolift, he feels the almost invisible motion of the turbolift as it moves throughout the ship. A week at warp in the Beta Quadrant has finally begun to wear on him. The silence, initially welcome, is the new enemy.

The doors open and he steps out onto the Bridge. By far the most active place on the ship, it is where decisions are made. He takes his station at the auxiliary engineering console, to the lower right of the Bridge, just in front of the tactical station.

"... its an M class planet, with a single volcanic moon," Kate is saying with a smile, her golden blond hair resting on her shoulders, free of the usual ponytail.

"And there's nothing down there?" Sean stands in the center of the Bridge, his usual position. "No humanoid life?"

Kate shakes her head. "There's nothing to indicate the development of higher life forms. None of the usual carbon emissions or subspace traffic common to an industrial or post industrial society. This would be a wonderful place for a picnic."

This catches Mark's ear. He remains silent as Kate continues her explanation of the planet's atmosphere and environment. The landmass covers 40 of the planet's surface, the rest is saltwater oceans. There is a mixture of climates, from tropical around the equator to tundra in the poles. From Kate's description, it is almost a picture perfect description of ancient Earth.

"Looks like a perfect place to let the crew relax," Sean says, coming back to his seat. "Is there a good spot to set the ship down?"

Kate looks down at her console for a bit, scanning the planet. "There's a large clearing at the mouth of a river in the temperate climate zone. Sensors read that the ground is strong enough to hold us."

Sean smiles, "Okay. Erica, prep for atmospheric flight. Signal blue alert."

The blue lighting, so heavily used a week earlier in crossing the Romulan neutral zone, is a breath of fresh air. Soon enough the ship will breath fresh air, the first time in weeks, and so will he.

Erica leans back in her seat, her hands flying over the controls. "Please keep your limbs inside the vehicle until we come to a full and complete stop."

A subtle vibration passes through the ship as it hits the atmosphere. Maneuvering thrusters and impulse engines working in tandem slowly bringing the ship lower and lower. The ground swells in the viewscreen, becoming larger and larger til the blackness of space is no longer visible, only the blue of the sky and the green of the ground.

"I'm deploying the landing struts," Erica says, leaning forward in her seat as she watches the altitude of the ship on her console.

There is a loud thunk, reverberating through the ship and echoing off the hull as the landing struts hit the ground, all telltale signs that the ship has landed. A vent above Mark's head lets out a hiss as the ship's life support systems bringing in air from the outside. Far from the recycled air on a starship, there is the faint smell of vegetation in the air.

Erica spins around in her chair,. "We've arrived at our destination, have a nice day," She grins broadly.

Mark shuts down the impulse and warp engines, along with the shields and weapons systems. The ship will not need them on the planet. He turns and stands up. With shore leave for most of the crew, he knows what he wants to do.

Sean says something to Klena, then heads for his ready room. Mark stops him just short of it, "Want to go camping?"

Sean quirks an eyebrow, shrugs, and then nods. "Sure, I was hoping to get caught up on some paperwork... but seeing as how I have no paperwork... sure."

"Anyone else for camping?" Mark says loudly enough to carry throughout the Bridge.

Erica didn't waste a second volunteering, "I'm going."

Kate raises her hand, "And you're not going without me."

"Someone must remain to watch over the ship," Klena does not seem the least bit disappointed by that role.

Nathan shakes his head, "Camping isn't for me."

Mark smiles. "Then let's go."

XXX

_Captain's Log Stardate 55022.1_

_The _Guenidier_ is currently landed on an M class planet, over twenty light-years from Romulan space. Mark has somehow convinced me to go camping, along with Erica and Kate. I've ordered shore leave for the entire ship, so hopefully this trip will be a relaxing break. After all, I don't think there's a crew out there that deserves it more than mine._

Mark climbs up over the massive rock first, the roar of the river beside them droning out any sound he would've made. He carries a heavy backpack, specifically a tent and a thermal sleeping bag from the ship's recreational inventory. A canteen hangs from his pack, within easy reach to stay hydrated on the trail.

Erica climbs over next, at a slight disadvantage because of her short height. She uses a slit in the rock as a handhold and launches herself up. She manages to get a good handhold on the top of the rock and finishes her climb. She carries a sleeping bag of her own, along with some of the food and medical supplies. Her canteen is fastened securely to her belt.

Kate is next. She is also at a disadvantage, but less because of her height and more her body type. Nonetheless she uses the same handhold Erica did and climbs to the top, her blond hair tied back so it stays out of her way. She carries more of the food and medical supplies, along with her sleeping bag. Her canteen is fastened to her backpack.

Sean brings up the rear, carrying the final bits of food, medical supplies, and a sleeping bag. A hand phaser is strapped to his belt, a final safety component for exploring a strange new world. His canteen also hangs from his pack. The rock is less of a challenge for him, being taller than the rest of the party.

Once at the top of the rock he looks back. The river leads straight back to the ship, now barely visible above the dense forest. The entire area glows in the sunlight of a perfectly clear day. He turns back to the group and Mark leads on, deeper into the forest, but still close to the river.

He wears a gray Starfleet exercise jumpsuit, with a red stripe across his chest. The jumpsuit had not been replaced along with their usual uniforms. The backpacks are black, with two main pockets and several side pockets, along with a spot to place the sleeping bags.

All around them the forest lives with the glory that is undisturbed nature. Small woodland creatures rush through the underbrush, and larger creatures can be heard in the distance. Birds sing in the treetops. The entire world screams paradise.

Before them is a small clearing, near the river. A combination of multicolored grass covers the ground, sure to be a comfortable spot to sit. A tree has fallen, its broad trunk separating the clearing into two distinct sections. Mark stops and sets his pack down. He opens up his tricorder and quickly scans the area for anything hazardous.

"It's good," Mark says.

"Are we going to camp here?" Erica sets her backpack down next to Mark's.

"Yep," Mark walks over to the tree trunk. "We should be able to cut sections of this using the phaser for firewood and I'll go look for some supplies in the woods."

Mark walks out of the clearing, keeping his eyes on the ground to hunt for twigs and leaves, the tinder needed to start the fire. Back in the clearing he can hear the phaser cutting through the trunk, creating the large chunks of firewood that they'll need.

Twigs and leaves are not difficult to find. In a few short minutes, Mark has a large enough set of leaves and twigs needed to create a fire. He returns to the campsite and finds a stack of firewood set up just beyond a ring of stones. Kate places the last stone just as he sets down the leaves and twigs next to the fire pit.

Sean places his phaser back on his pack, "Do we need anything else?"

Mark laughs. "No, I think we've got everything. You didn't do outdoor survival training did you?"

"It has been seven years Mark," Sean replies, "And I don't go camping on the holodeck."

"Good point." Mark carefully arranges the twigs and the wood to form a tepee, with the leaves and twigs nestled within the larger pieces of wood . He reaches into his pack and pulls out a federation issue survival kit. The kit contains, amongst the basic medical supplies and emergency shelter and beacon, a small box of matches, an old but trustworthy fire starter that he had placed in there himself only an hour earlier.

A branch snaps, drawing the groups attention to a humanoid on the opposite side of the river. It stands roughly the same height as Sean, with a split ridge of skin instead of hair on the top of his head, much like a Bolian, except the skin is a dark pale color. The split ridge of skin skips its face but continues down its chest. It carries a crude spear, and wears a loincloth. Two red eyes stare at the group.

Sean slowly comes to his feet. "Hello?"

It lets out a yelp and quickly darts back into the woods. The sound of snapping twigs and disturbed animals echoes in the clearing.

Sean turns back to the group, "It reminds me of primitive man."

"I didn't detect any humanoid life down here," Kate says, coming to her feet as well. "But if they haven't developed fire, then they wouldn't produce a carbon footprint."

"If there's only a handful of them, they wouldn't produce a carbon footprint, fire or no," Mark shrugs. "Not anything the sensors could detect anyway. Strange that they didn't pick up their bio-signs though."

"I wonder if they're native," Erica murmurs, just loud enough so that everyone can hear. She also brings the conversation back to the primitive humanoid.

"Could be," Kate falls silent for a moment, "I'd like to see his camp."

"He?" Erica tilts her head slightly in confusion, "For all we know they're genderless."

"Better than calling him an it," Kate protested.

Sean grabs his tricorder from his belt and flips it open. "Either he's moved away really fast, or the tricorder can't track him, which could explain why the sensor didn't spot them." He shrugs and places it back on his belt. "Either way I think we can stand to check it out, we just have to keep our distance."

"But what about the fire, and camping?" Mark throws his hands in the air, "We're just going to leave it here?"

"You want to stay?" Kate asks.

"Well..." Mark shakes his head. "Whatever, its not like we can't find it again," He marks the location on his tricorder.

Erica grabs her pack and takes the point position. At first glance the river appears impassable, but a tree trunk conveniently bridges the gap just a short walk upstream. The humanoid has left a clear path of destruction through the underbrush for them to follow.

The trail continues for a mile before abruptly ending in a valley. They crouch down at the edge, peering down on a village out of the textbooks of ancient Earth history. Small straw thatched huts form a perimeter, with a larger hut in the center. Small fires dot the area between the two circles, and groups of the native walk to and fro. A large group of them crowds the center hut, as if trying to get inside.

Sean squints, "Looks like our friend is relating his tale to the rest of the village... and they do have fire."

Mark sits down, "They must have evolved recently, if we were in the Federation a scientist group would want to study them."

"It's a shame we don't have the time to do it," Kate smiles wistfully, "Even today our knowledge of the beginning of the universe is still pretty limited. There's not that many cultures this new."

The crowd around the center hut slowly breaks up.

"We should get back," Sean says, slowly coming back to his feet and stepping away from the edge. "We're not going to interfere with them."

"Another Starfleet regulation we're not changing?" Erica smirks.

"Sorry Erica, we're not going to change everything just to spite them."

Kate snorts as they slowly begin making their way back to the camp.

XXX

"Computer, dim lighting," Klena kneels near the coffee table in her quarters.

A single candle sits on the table, with a small flame at its tip. The air has a faint smell of nature to it, a smell easily detectable by the senses of a Vulcan. It makes it difficult to center her mind on her meditations.

Difficult, but far from impossible. She steadies her breathing, counting out the seconds between each breath. Before long her mind settles into a gentle rhythm and the counting is not needed. The world around her slowly vanishes.

A world of pure white replaces it. All sensation is gone. There is only logic. She continues to kneel, refusing to move. The world around her is held together only by her mind, and it must not be disturbed.

The white begins to fade and changes into a darkness. Where once there was white, there is now black. She begins to count again, and the first traces of white return. They coalesce into rays of sunlight illuminating a dark cave.

She is standing, the floor of the cave beneath her boots. The walls are smooth, but when she reaches out to touch them, they feel rough, like sandpaper. She walks forward, looking for something in the cave.

Her mind is undisciplined, and dreams tend to invade her meditations. She does not mind the dreams. For her, they are far more relaxing than the constant emptiness striven for by Vulcan elders. The lighting slowly becomes stronger, and the sound of running water invades the silent cavern.

She continued forward and a small creek comes into sight. Water is flowing from a hole in the ceiling and crashing on an array of rocks before flowing out of her field of vision. A single cloaked figure kneels at the banks of the creek. Their hand cups a handful of water from the creek and pulls it to their head, as if drinking it.

Never before have her dreams been filled with others. They are of places, not people. She watches in the darkness for a short while, until the figure stands up and turns to stare at her. Its face is obscured by the dark cloak it wears.

It remains motionless, locked in place. There is nothing to indicate it is even breathing, only that it is staring at her. She cannot shake the sinking feeling that slowly creeps up her spine as she holds a Vulcan stare at it.

Another two cloaked figures join it and finally it breaks the stare. There is no sound, yet the three figures appear to be conversing amongst themselves. Logically there is only one good action at this point. She walks to the cloaked figures. "Hello?"

The figures all turn to stare at her. If they are saying anything, she cannot hear them. Now there are three stares. The sinking feeling settles in her stomach. The strength of it is surprising. A Vulcan does not feel dread, at least not strongly enough to nearly break her mental concentration.

The three figures break off their stares and begin to move away, crossing the creek without disturbing the water and moving into the cave. Suppressing the ever worsening feeling of dread, Klena runs to keep up. The water splashes lightly as she crosses it.

Across the creek the cave narrows again. The figures continue to race away, moving at a speed that Klena can only match, not exceed. The last bits of light slowly fade and Klena stops, reaching out with her arms.

The sinking feeling in her stomach lurches up, nearly causing her to gag. She backs up. She cannot follow what she cannot see. She turns around, the faint light from the creek illuminating a figure behind her. She stops. "Who are you?"

The figure screeches, its noise overpowering the sound of running water. Something about the noise shatters ever ounce of emotional control Klena has. Fear grips her, overriding even her most stringent Vulcan emotional suppression. Then the figure runs towards her and collides with her.

Hot spikes of pain shoot through her veins and she falls backward. As she looks back, she sees only the walls of her sparsely adorned quarters as she gasps for breath. A thin line of perspiration runs down her face. Her heart pounds mercilessly. She stands and heads for the door. "Commander Stark, please meet me in sickbay."

XXX

Sean's commbadge squawks, breaking the serene sound of the fire cracking and popping in the cool night air. "Cunningham."

"Captain, something happened to Commander Klena," Nathan's voice emanates from the tiny device. "Apparently while she was meditating something happened. The Doctor is running some tests now to determine exactly what happened."

"Think we should recall the crew?"

"I'd do it, if only for security's sake. I don't know exactly what's going, but she's agitated. That's not like a Vulcan."

Sean nods. "Recall the crew, we're heading back." He stands up. "Sorry guys, but we're leaving. Grab your stuff."

Mark sighs and stands up as well, slinging his pack over his shoulder. "Why can't trouble just leave us..." There is a whistle and soft pop, followed by Mark reaching around the back of his neck and withdrawing a long needled dart. "Oh..." Mark falls over, unconscious.

Kate tries to duck and avoid the second dart, but it pricks her in the shoulder. A flood of anger passes over her face before she falls as well.

Erica dives and rolls, narrowly avoiding a trio of the darts. "Commander, we're under attack by natives!"

Sean is not as fast; two of the darts meant for Erica hit him. He falls, the pack on his back suddenly becoming very heavy.

Erica comes out of her commando roll and makes for the trees, but just after reaching it a dart slams into her shoulder. Two more pelt her back before she falls.

"Lieutenant... Captain!" Nathan's voice is tiny coming from the commbadge.

Out of the bushes, a group of natives come into the clearing. They carry a long tube meant for shooting darts and a few carry large clubs. The largest of them each grab a victim and carry them back to the village. The rest begin humming a quiet melody. It has begun.

XXX

Klena sits up on the surgical bay bio-bed, swinging her legs over the edge. "And what have you found Doctor?"

The EMH faces her. "Your mesiofrontal cortex was attacked in a crude manner, momentarily disrupting your ability to suppress your emotions. The damage is not permanent and will heal. There's no reason to keep you in sickbay."

She nods, her emotional control has returned, but she can still remember the emotions, and the fear. Thankfully, Nathan enters at that moment, preventing her from dwelling on it.

"The Doctor has released me," Klena says, her voice even.

"Good," Nathan says, "because I think the Captain and his party are in trouble."

"Ensign Filander said that she detected no humanoid life on the planet," Klena counters.

"Right," Nathan gestured for her to follow him, "But Lieutenant Dulmane managed to yell something into her commbadge, before I lost her signal as well. Now none of them are responding."

"Have we recovered the rest of the crew?"  
"Yes," Nathan enters the turbolift. Klena follows behind him. "I've got crewman Khrat scanning the planet for their commbadge signals, but so far she hasn't found..."

"Commander Stark," Crewman Laysi Khrat's voice emanates from his commbadge, "I've got the location of the Captain, but there's some sort of strange interference around it."

The doors of the turbolift open and Klena walks out first. Nathan follows. Laysi is working at the Operations station on the left side of the Bridge. She looks up as they approach.

"Can you be more specific?" Klena asks.

"No," Laysi shakes her head. "I can't determine the source of the interference, or even what it is about it that is scrambling our sensors, but it's centered on the Captain." She meets Klena's gaze.

Klena turns to Nathan. "I believe that the interference, and the beings I encountered while meditating are related."

"How so?"

"I am unsure of the specifics, but it is a logical hypothesis." Klena walks back to the turbolift. "Before we can rescue the Captain, I believe I must discover if they are indeed responsible for the interference."

Nathan follows her, but blocks her from entering the turbolift. "A security team and pattern enhancers would get the job done just as well."

"Simply because we are no longer attached to Starfleet is no reason to discard the Prime Directive. We will not interfere in the natural evolution of this species. Phasers and pattern enhancers will likely cause irreparable damage to their society. This is not open for debate." Klena walks around him and into the turbolift. "Maintain your watch on the interference. The moment you detect a change plot a course for the Captain and rescue him and his party."

Nathan watches the turbolift door close, then turns and leans on the handrail. "Crewman Khrat, I want to know the moment you have something."

"Yes sir," Laysi nods.

XXX

There is a crackling sound that echoes in Sean's ears. It sounds remarkably like fire, but something doesn't quite add up. He remembers being hit by one of the darts, and then the darkness, but it would make no sense for them to be still at the campsite, not unless someone got to the phaser.

His head feels heavy, as if he's upside down, but without opening his eyes, it is impossible to see for certain. His arms feel like they are supporting him, yet they feel restricted, unmovable. His legs feel the same, but almost like they are wrapped around a piece of wood.

With a deep breath, he forces his heavy eyelids open and groans. The world around him is blurred, but slowly coming into focus. He can see the large tree trunk to which he is tied to, blocking out the rays of moonlight.

He glanced around him, spotting Mark to his right and Kate and Erica to his left. All are in a similar state as he is. They are in the center of the native's camp, just outside the big hut. The tree trunks they are bound to are held in the air by supports on either end. Underneath them is a large set of logs and sticks, the makings of a very large fire.

It is unlit; the sound of crackling comes from neighboring huts. The natives walk by without glancing at the four strangers tied up. There are no guards either, as if they are not concerned about their 'guests' escaping them.

He sees Mark shift and groan, and then his eyes reluctantly open. He tugs at the ropes binding him to the log for a bit, then sighs.

"Mark," Sean whispers, being careful to not have his voice carry.

"What happened?" Mark squints in the moonlight, almost as bright as day.

"A blow dart," Sean says, doing his best to shrug, "They got all of us."

"And we're..." Mark looks around. "...this doesn't bode well for us."

"No," Sean shakes his head, "This reminds me of a scene from an old fantasy movie."

"Were there furry little teddy bears in it?"

"I think so."

Mark knits his brow in concentration for a second, then shrugs as best he can while hanging from a log. "I can't remember the name."

"Wasn't terribly important." Sean looks at the thick ropes. "Can you see a way out of the ropes?"

Mark shakes his head. "If we still had your phaser, then we could cut them. But there's no way out of these without a tool."

"Chewing?"

"Would take a long time."

Sean sighs and turns his head to check on Erica and Kate. They are both still unconscious. Kate's hair dangles dangerously close to the wood beneath her. If it were to catch fire, then her hair would be the first to burn.

"Kate," He hisses, hoping to get her to wake up. "Ensign!"

Something inside her responded, probably an involuntary reaction to being called by her rank from Starfleet Academy. Her eyes fling open and she turns her head to the source of the noise. She blinks before speaking. "Captain... what's going on?"

Sean quickly relates their situation. "Can you get free of the ropes binding you?"

Kate tugs at them, but her arms and legs remain stationary. "No, they tied these well."

There is a loud drum beat, breaking any chances to continue trying to escape. He looks back at the main hut. Coming from the entrance are twenty natives, each carrying a blazing torch and singing in a language the universal translator in his commbadge cannot identify or translate.

The drum sounds again, and all falls silent. A final native walks out of the main tent, his entire body painted in swirling stripes of white and black. He carries a staff, which has a glowing jewel attached to the top of it.

The final native says something, then drops to the ground and begins chanting something. The others all do the same, except they also drop their torches in the wood of the fire pit. Sean grits his teeth in frustration, their situation just got worse.

XXX

The candle before Klena casts its glow on her, creating a flashing shadow dance across her face and hair. She closes her eyes, and concentrates on the beings she saw previously and the cave. The candle slowly fades, and the darkness of sickbay expands. The Doctor and Lshan both vanish, leaving her alone.

Before her, the creek in the cave forms. The sound of running water echoes throughout the cavern, and standing on the edge of the creek, is the being from before. It looks the same: cloaked, hidden. This time she approaches it, ready to defend herself from them.

"Who are you?" Her voice echoes in the cavern.

The figure turns to her, its face still shrouded in black. It does not respond, but a tingling sensation spreads through her back. Her stomach churns involuntarily. She forces her mind passed it. "Who are you?" Klena's voice is louder and echoes more.

Two more figures appear, now encircling her. She holds her gaze on the original figure. "I mean you no harm, but I need to know if you are responsible for the interference blocking our ship's sensors."

She hears something, a faint whisper, as if from the far side of the cave. The roar of the water blocks it, even her Vulcan ears cannot hear it enough to understand. "Are you trying to communicate?"

This time she hears nothing beyond the roar of the creek. The sensations in her stomach and back spread, clawing up her body. She shivers involuntarily, but it is not a shiver of cold. The figures around her close in slowly, and then suddenly slam into her.

Pain shoots through her, and she looks down to see three blades piercing her skin. Then it all fades, leaving her alone with the roar of the creek.

XXX

"Commander Stark," Lshan's voice comes from Nathan's commbadge.

"Yes crewman?" Nathan responds, turning around in the helm seat, his adopted position for the moment on the Bridge.

"Commander Klena is in a coma. The Doctor is trying to revive her."

"Keep me posted," Nathan looks down at his feet for a second, then spins around in his chair. "Mor'tah, bring the weapons and shields online, set condition red throughout the ship."

"Weapons and shields are ready Commander." Mor'tah replies from the tactical station.

"Then hang on." Nathan activates the ship's maneuvering thrusters and brings it off the ground. The _Guenidier_ hovers for a few seconds, then begins moving forward, just above the treetops. "Khrat, status on that interference?"

"I'm not sure Commander," Laysi replies. "The interference is definitely changed, but I can't tell if it's weakened or simply gotten stronger."

"We're about to find out," Nathan clenches his fits. "We'll take this ship right into it if we have too."

As the ship approaches the native encampment, he sees the rising plumes of smoke from a giant fire. The viewscreen begins to flicker, and then the ship suddenly lurches to a stop. Nathan glances down at his console. "Thusters are at maximum, but we're not moving."

Laysi glances at the console behind her. "It's as if we're stuck in something solid, but there's nothing around us."

"Mor'tah, fire phasers."

"Weapon systems are not responding!" He replies. "Power is reaching the phasers, yet they will not fire."

Nathan looks at his console. "Then we're trapped, by something... that we can't detect. What about that smoke ahead?"

"Sensors can't get a clear picture," Laysi replies.

"Only a very large fire can produce such smoke," Mor'tah adds, "Such a fire would not be needed by a primitive culture, unless they were burning something large."

Nathan swallows. He has a good idea who is facing the flames, and who is running out of time.

XXX

The first of the tinder catches fire, and the natives all stand back. The chanting begins again, this time with a renewed beat from the drums. Slowly, methodically, the fire spreads from the tinder to the larger logs, and more drums join the chant.

Sean looks to either side of him, making eye contact with Erica, then Kate, and finally Mark. Then he stares at the native leader, glaring in a barely controlled hatred for the native customs, which will soon result in death. Four useless deaths.

Mark looks over his shoulder at the approaching flames. "I like fire... but this is ridiculous!" He tugs at the restraints again, a futile endeavor.

"Hardly a time to joke!" Kate snaps back at him. She tries to fling her hair around her neck, but the same ties in her hair that keep it out of the way prevent it from moving now.

Erica yanks viciously on her restraints, she screams in pain but her hand passes through. Her hand is bloody. "I've got a hand free!" She fumbles with the restraints on her other hand.

"Don't wait for us!" Sean yells, the noise from the chant steadily increasing.

"I'm not leaving anyone behind!" Erica pauses momentarily to glare at her Captain. Insubordination never felt so comforting to a Starfleet, or former Starfleet, Captain, but he knew that she was fully aware that she wouldn't have a chance to rescue any of them. She would be lucky if she freed herself. Sean tugs at the restraints again, but his hands will not budge.

Meanwhile, the fire continues to spread.

XXX

Each breath comes slowly and painfully. Yet she knows that logically she should be dead. Klena focuses on the world around her, the roar of the creek and pulls herself back together. The blades that pierced her are not real; they cannot harm her. She is not dead.

As if they never existed, the blades vanish. She stands and faces the creek. The three figures stand there still, in the same circle where they struck her down. They do not notice her as she approaches them a second time.

She slowly circles them, stalking them like they stalked her. She has tried to be patient, but they have refused to listen. Logically, there is only one course of action left. To use her suppressed fear and anger to strike out at them.

She focuses on the one at the edge of the creek. The original figure in a cloak turns to face her. The other two vanish along with the creek as she focuses on only it, ignoring everything else. "You will not harm us further." Klena says evenly, a note of anger hidden under her flat tone of voice.

Pain shoots through her as the figure impales her once again. Klena suppresses the pain, along with the fear that threatens to override her control. She pulls the blade from her, holding it in her hand. There is no wound from where it entered.

Then she drops the blade on the ground. There is no sound as it hits. "There is no need for further violence."

The figure doesn't move or say anything. It then turns away from her, and walks away. Suddenly, the world comes rushing back into focus. The darkness is left behind, in favor of the full lighting of sickbay. Lshan and the Doctor stand over her.

"Commander, lie still, you've been in a coma." Lshan says, holding Klena down as she tries to sit up.

"I must speak to Commander Stark," Klena replies, pushing the Andorian's arm away and tapping her commbadge. "Commander, status on the interference?"

"It's dissipating Commander," Nathan replies, "We've got a clear run on the camp."

XXX

Smoke blinds Sean as the fire spreads beneath him. Each breath burns, causing him to cough uncontrollably. His eyes water in a vain attempt to keep the ash and smoke clear. They fail, the burning in his eyes overwhelming his senses.

Erica struggles to free her second hand, but the fire has already lit the wood beneath her, there is nowhere for her to go. The entire mound of wood is burning. The native drumming climaxes, a deafening roar in their ears.

He does not see the shining light as the _Guenidier _passes overhead, but he can feel his molecules break apart from a transporter beam. He can no longer see anyone, but he knows they are safe.

XXX

His next thought is to the quiet beeping of consoles all around him, along with the shuffling of two pairs of feet. Sean opens his eyes and immediately regrets it, the blinding light from the sickbay lighting.

"TURN DOWN THE LIGHTS!" He moans.

"Easy Captain," Lshan's shadow passes over him, "Computer, reduce illumination by fifty percent."

The lighting dims accordingly, but Sean still refuses to open his eyes for a moment. He hears the doors open and decides that he probably should see who it is. The reduced lighting helps the burning from his smoke stung eyes.

Nathan walks to his bed. "Glad to see you're awake Captain."

"Status?" Sean groans, trying to sit up.

Lshan quickly pushes him back down. "Please remain in your bed sir."

"We're holding position outside of the system. Considering most of the senior staff is in Sickbay, I didn't want to go far."

"What happened, why did it take you so long to rescue us?"

Nathan quickly relates the story of the interference to Sean. "I'm still not entirely sure about what Klena was encountering, but she broke their hold on the ship."

Sean shakes his head. The stinging sensation in his eye has lessened. "We made it out. No casualties right?"

"Right." Nathan nods, glancing to Lshan.

"Aside from some minor smoke inhalation, you are all perfectly healthy." Lshan's antennae twitch. "The compound the aliens used to drug you isn't showing up on any of our scans, so I believe it's safe to assume that it has been broken down by your bodies. I'm keeping you all here for a night though."

Mark groans, and Lshan disappears from Sean's view.

"Get some rest Captain." Nathan says. "We'll be here when you're back on your feet."

XXX

A cool summer breeze races past her, coming from the mountain in the distance. Klena allows her mind to flow with the breeze. It is a place of solitude, a place of mediation.

There is a chirp from her door. She opens her eyes and the landscape vanishes, leaving only the candle in her quarters before her. It flickers as she stands and opens the door.

"Crewman Lshan told me that you'd been released," Nathan says.

"Yes, I was attempting to meditate," Klena gestures for him to enter the room. The light from the hallway intrudes on the darkness of her quarters.

"Sorry, the Captain wanted to ask you about what happened?" The door closes behind Nathan. "You went into a coma for a few minutes."

Klena cocks an eyebrow as she kneels near the candle again. "I am unsure as to exactly what my physical state was during my ordeal, but I do not believe I was in a coma, though the experience was interesting."

"Interesting?"

Klena meets his gaze. "The beings I met attacked me twice, but once I was able to prevent them from attacking me, they disappeared. I am unsure of their reasoning."

"They attacked you?"

"It was merely an illusion in my mind. Perhaps they were indeed trying to communicate." A glint passes through Klena's eyes.

"Didn't look like communication to us."

"Perhaps," Klena lets the matter drop.

Nathan does not notice. "Well, it had a profound effect on you. Physically you were in a coma, even if your mind wasn't a part of it. I still wish we knew more."

"I do not believe we exist on the same level as they do," Klena closes her eyes and kneels before the candle once more.

Nathan shrugs. "Maybe," He turns for the door and silently walks back out into the hallway, leaving Klena alone.

Klena shivers once more. Emotions released are hard to cage again, especially for one so young.


	9. 1x02 Strange New Worlds

_Captain's Log Stardate 71092.2_

_ The Guenidier is currently in orbit above a planet completely covered in water. As far as we can tell, there are no continents anywhere on the planet. I have seen many planets, but this is the first I've ever seen with something like this. More beautiful than anything I've ever seen, it reminds me of another time._

"Kate, life signs?"

"Nothing humanoid, at least not that the sensors can detect." She shook her head. "Interference from the surface life forms are preventing me from getting a good scan of it."  
"Interesting." Sean smiles as he watches the blue world below them rotate slowly in the viewscreen. The only evidence of the movement is of the wispy white clouds in the atmosphere. "What about the poles, are they frozen?"

"No." Kate replied, glancing down at her console as she did. "Sensors are reading that the water temperature even at the poles is still well above freezing."

"Erica, bring us into a low orbit. Let's see if we can get a better picture of the water composition."

Erica nods. "Aye sir."

The planet swells in the view screen, soon blocking out the sun and the stars, leaving only blue.

"How's the view now Kate?" Sean glances over his shoulder.

Kate shrugs. "It's better, but sensors are still having trouble isolating all the life-forms. The best analysis I can give you is that there's a lot of it, both on the surface and below."

"Hardly a scientific analysis." There is a twinkle in Klena's eyes, her comment, sarcastic in nature, delivered without a trace of a smile.

Erica looks back from her seat. "What about sending a shuttle down closer?"

Kate props her head up on the the console before her. "The only way to get a conclusive analysis would be to actually get below the surface of the water. I think a lot of the lifeforms I'm detecting are some kind of algae or plankton."

"We could probably modify a shuttle to do that." Erica says with a shrug.

Sean taps his commbadge. "Mark, do you think its possible to modify a shuttle for underwater use?"

"What?" Mark replies, confusion and shock evident over the comm system. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Can we make a submarine out of a shuttle without actually rebuilding it?"

There is a pause. "Maybe," another pause, "it wouldn't be able to go too deep though. Nothing more than a few kilometers."

Sean looks to Kate. "Kate?"

"If my assumption about the surface life is correct, then that'll work." She nods, bouncing up and down ever so slightly on her toes with excitement.

"How much time Mark?"

"An hour, maybe two?" Mark definitely shrugged on the other end.

"Alright, get started. Erica and Kate will be taking it down."

"Will do."

"Assemble what you need, and meet Mark in the shuttle bay in an hour."

XXX

"Well... you're lucky." Mark says. "I got it so it should withstand pressure up to around 6 or 7 kilometers deep."

The Mark 9 Shuttle, standard issue to all Intrepid starships, still bearing the USS Foxhound nameplate on the side of it looked unchanged from the outside. Kate was almost certain the inside was modified. The rear hatch was open, Mark had just come from it.

"So what'd you do?" Erica gestures to the shuttle.

Mark wiped some grime from his hands on a towel. "I took the weapons offline and rerouted the power to structural integrity and shields. At the same time, I also modified the shields to keep the water out. Normally they wouldn't." He patted the side of the ship. "Don't take it any lower than four kilometers for any length of time. She won't take it very well."

"That's never stopped you." Sean yelled from the catwalk on the side of the bay. He walks to the ladder and slides down it in one fluid motion. "Didn't want to trash the good shuttle?" He gestures to the shuttle with the corrected nameplates to the side, parked to the side of the bay.

"Something like that." Mark replies.

"How long can we stay down there?" Kate asks.

"No longer than two hours, and if you're close to a few thousand meters for more than thirty minutes you need to come up. I programmed it to warn you when the pressure becomes too much."

Kate turns to Sean. "Can we go?"

He gestures to the shuttle, not being able to suppress the smile forming on his face. "You have a go."

Erica climbs on board the shuttle, taking the pilot's seat on the left. Kate takes the second seat on the right. Surprisingly, the inside of the shuttle remains mostly unchanged. A few cables run from beneath Kate's seat to the rear and under the bench, but that is all.

The inner bulkhead doors in front of them slowly open, while a shimmering blue forcefield holds the atmosphere in the bay. Beyond the blue field is a long narrow corridor, wide enough for the shuttle and then the outer doors, which are now opening as well.

Kate glances out the window at Sean and Mark as they watch from the catwalk. They are talking, but she can't tell what they are saying. She faces forward once more as the shuttle lurches forward and out into space.

"Alright, let's see what we can do." Erica brings the shuttle into the atmosphere.

A subtle vibration passes through the shuttle and the edges of the front view port begin to glow.

"Nothing to worry about." Erica murmurs, bringing the ship lower and lower.

Kate shakes her head. "This is nothing compared to what it will be like underwater." She glances down at the sensors before her. "Hold position just before we go into the water."

"Right." Erica brings the shuttle to a halt. Before them stretches blue-green seas in all directions. The bright yellow sun's rays reflect off the water, illuminating it with a brilliant glare.

Kate takes her eyes off the console before her. "The sensors still can't penetrate the surface-level life forms. We're going to need to go under."

"Can we do that without killing them?" Erica points out the endless life. "If they're thick enough to block sensors, then I doubt a shuttle is going to go through."

"Just take it slow." Kate replies. "They should flow away with the displaced water."

Erica nods. "Okay, here goes."

Without so much as a splash, the shuttle descends below the waves. Slowly, the water creeps up the sides of the shuttle until it completely blocks out the light from above the water. Compared to the brilliant light from above, the region below is like staring into a black hole's event horizon.

"Wow... you were right about the surface critters." Erica activates the lights on the shuttle. Twin beams of light shoot forward into the blackness, dissipating in the distance.

Kate mouth drops open as she watches her sensor readings. "This is amazing!" She shakes her head and scoots her chair closer to the console, starring in awe at the various displays. "The water is composed of a mixture of hydrogen, oxygen, and another element I can't identify. There are millions of different life-forms being indexed by the sensors right now!"

"Millions?" Erica asks, looking over at the console.

"Yeah, and all within a 200 meter radius." Kate blinks for the first time in almost a minute as the computer continues to display the information it is gathering. "Bring us lower."

Erica nods.

As the ship slowly descends, the myriad of life passes before them. Small aquatic creatures of all shapes, sizes, and colorations pass before them on either side and in front, heedless of the intruder. Schools of fish race passed in swarms that block out the area in front of them.

"We're at three kilometers." Erica announces, just the hull creaks. She glances above and around her, frowning with uncertainty. "That wasn't supposed to happen." She glances at the consoles before her. "Structural integrity and shields are not showing any weakness, we should be fine."

Kate glanced at Erica, sharing a moment of panic. "That wasn't supposed to happen." She looks back at her console. Confusion suddenly lines her face. "But that's not possible..."

"What's not possible?" Erica glances over Kate's shoulder.

"I'm detecting a power signature, a warp power signature."

"Bearing?"

"310 mark 23. Sensors show its about 160 meters down."

"I'll bring us in above it."

The shuttle moves towards the power signature, which quickly becomes visible as a glowing white light in the distance. It pulses, sometimes fading entirely from view for a few seconds. However, it keeps growing bigger.

Kate swallows visibly. "Oh my..." She double checks her sensor readings. "I'm reading humanoid life ahead, inside a network of small domes clustered around the power core. There's also a very large gap in the indigenous life forms, which could be from the warp core, the light, even the vibrations caused by such a large power source."

Erica brings the ship to a stop. "I'll try hailing them." She opens a channel. "This is HMS Guenidier shuttle to inhabitants of the... object. Please respond."

The only response is silence.

"I'm not getting any indication of a subspace transceiver from them. Would an EM signal work?"  
"No." Erica shakes her head. "The water prevents us from sending those kinds of transmissions."

"Sonar ping? We could bounce it off the nav deflector."

Erica nods. "It worth a try."

"Sending..." Kate doesn't have a chance to finish her thought. There is a sickening creak from the forward windshield. A crack forms, rapidly expanding to encompass the window.

Erica swears in Klingon and immediately hammers at the controls to bring the ship back out of the water. Slowly, the ship rises.

"This doesn't make sense." Kate glances up from her consoles. "The structural integrity fields are operational, why aren't they holding the window together?"

There is a break, and a torrent of water flows into the cabin. Kate shivers as the ice cold spray nearly knocks her out of her chair. The entire window shatters less than a second later. She flings her arms up to block the glass from impacting her face and feels several pieces lodge themselves in her arm.

She would've screamed, if she didn't know that if she opened her mouth water would pour into it. As it was, the back end of the shuttle was filling quickly with water and she could not see the surface.

She glanced at Erica, frantically struggling with the controls, a piece of transparent aluminum jammed in her shoulder. Erica looks back at her and shakes her head, an indication that the shuttle is no longer rising and that soon they will fall back into the ocean.

Kate reaches for her console and activates the distress beacon, hoping the signal will reach the Guenidier. She cannot breath, the water now encompasses her completely. Her body is numb from the ice cold water. She glances at Erica and gestures up above them.

Erica kicks off from her seat and flies up out of the shuttle, toward the surface. Kate follows but her limbs refuse to move quickly. After only a few strokes, she cannot move her arms anymore and the lack of oxygen burns in her lungs.

She gasps involuntarily and water surges into her lungs. Pain arcs out from her lungs as they are flooded with water. As darkness claims her, Kate feels a strangely warm sensation pass through her, like an embrace. Perhaps this is how it feels for her to die?

XXX

"Captain..." Klena's voice carries with it a note of alarm from the helm. "I'm detecting the shuttle's distress beacon, badly distorted."

Sean looks down at the planet. His stomach lurches upward into his throat as he understands what's happening, without any need for Klena to explain. He glances back at Laysi at Ops. "Laysi, I need you to lock onto Kate and Erica's signal and beam them aboard now!"

"Trying sir." Laysi says in a panic, fumbling with the console before her. "Captain... I can't get a lock!"

"Beam the whole damn shuttle in then!"

"Targeting scanners cannot lock onto the shuttle... there's too much interference!" Laysi frantically enters commands into her console. "I'm sorry sir!"

"Then we've gotta get below the surface of the water." Sean takes a deep breath, then taps his commbadge. "Mark, I need us set to go underwater in thirty seconds or Kate and Erica are dead!" He glances at Nathan. "Signal condition blue throughout the ship. Klena, begin our descent."

The Bridge is bathed in a sea of flashing blue light, accompanied by the wailing alarms. The planet before them swells, as the ship gracefully plunges into the atmosphere. The clouds whip passed the ship, breaking apart as they pass through them.

"I've rerouted everything I could spare to the shields and structural integrity," Mark yells over the comm, "but our chances of holding together underwater are slim to none!"

"Noted Mark, we only need a few seconds!"

"We are at one hundred meters above the surface of the water," Klena announces, not breaking her stare from the console before her.

"Bring us down, slowly."

The horizon becomes visible once more as the ship levels out and then slowly descends. A deep rumble runs through the bulkheads all around them. The lights and console flicker intermittently as the horizon disappears, and then the ship is submerged.

"Transporters... now!"

Laysi looks back down at her console, then another deep rumble passes through the ship. Suddenly, alarms begin to wail once more. His console lights up red, informing him that several decks are already taking on water.

"I can't get them!" Laysi yells, just as there is a crash from the conference room, the sound of shattering transparent aluminum.

Sean keeps his gaze transfixed on Laysi for a second more, hoping that she can work a miracle with the transporters.

She looks up, frustration and anger on her face. The console behind her sparks and flickers.

He makes his decision. "Klena, get us out of here!" Sean takes one last look at the water before them, it has just swallowed two of his crew. His stomach churns, first with guilt, and then with anger.

XXX

Kate feels warm, strangely warm. Yet she can't understand why. She remembers the water pouring in and the sensation of death, but nothing beyond that. Isn't she supposed to be dead, drowned in a shuttle underneath the water of a strange alien world.

She opens her eyes and its bombarded by a brilliant glow of green and white from all around her. Momentary blindness gives way to normal sight. She is in a small room, with walls of translucent amber that she can see through, but beyond them is nothing but water.

A fish passes by, with a long slim silver body with rows upon rows of bright red-orange fins along its back and tail. Barely visible are the tiny bubbles from its gills. The single black eye on the side of its head seems content to simply swim by, not taking any notice of her.

Taking her eyes off the fish swimming outside of the room, she rolls over. All around her she hears and feels the movement of water. A strange sensation fills her. She takes a breath, and finds that she isn't suffocating, in fact, she does not even feel the water moving through her lungs.

_Hello!_ She opens her mouth to speak but no words come out, yet the thought echoes in her mind as if it was spoken aloud.

_WHAT? _Erica's voice booms into Kate's head, deafening in its intensity.

Kate's turns towards where the voice came from in her mind and sees Erica now sitting upright facing her from across the room. Her eyes are wide as she comes to the same realizations that Kate has just been through.

_What is going on? _Her voice echoes again.

Kate shakes her head. _I don't know, but I imagined death being... different._

_ You sure?_

_No, this isn't my definition of life after death. _She gestures to her uniform, which is soaked. _And we're still in our uniforms, we're still on the water planet. _

_ Then where are we? _

_ I think we're in that structure that we found. _Kate

_ So then how are we... _Erica trails off as a membrane expands and molds to the shape of a humanoid. As it passes through, she sees that it looks vaguely like a human male, except his hands and feet are webbed. His head is bald, with pale skin exposed. He wears a living garment, that covers him completely. It also seems to be a liquid as it slowly moves with the water around him, almost as if it has a life of its own.

He spreads his arms wide and bows his head slightly. _GREETINGS, I AM TELNOR!_

His voice in her mind is deafening, overwhelming in its intensity. It feels alien to her, but she can understand it, almost as if her mind is translating. She instinctively cups her hands to her ears in a vain attempt to lessen the pounding in her head.

He jumps back, quickly doing the same motion. _S-S-sorry about my voice. It has been a long time since I have spoken to new inhabitants of the Great Majesty._

His voice is softer this time. Kate looks at him. _The Great Majesty?_

_ It is the world you see around you. The creatures, the life, the warmth. Endless in majesty._

_ So we're not dead?_ Erica cautiously adds.

He nearly jumps up in the air. _Far from it friends, you are more alive than you ever will be again!_

Kate frowns, her mind failing to comprehend. _Are you saying that we're alive. But we breath air, not water._

A toothy grin forms on his face. _Neither could we, but the majesty is infinite in its wonders. It allows us to live in the warmth of the seas._

_ So you didn't originally come from here? _Erica asks.

_Regretfully no. But it is our home now, and a truly wonderful place it is. _Telnor grinned again.

Kate didn't feel like smiling. She looked out through the translucent walls and felt her heart go with the current. She didn't want to live down here.

_Can we leave? _Erica stated strong enough for Telnor to undestand.

_Of course you may leave, the compound is not a prison! You are our guests and we welcome you to all our hospitality. Please how may I help you?_

_ Just give us some time. _Erica glanced at Kate as the latter kept her gaze on the water.

_Of course, of course. I will wait outside for you._

_ Kate? _Erica pushed off the floor she had been laying on and floated over to her.

Kate turned her head so she could see Erica. _This doesn't make any sense._

Erica took a seat next to her. _Yeah, we're under at least __four__ kilometers of water, breathing it, and communicating telepathically. Not exactly ordinary, but we're not dead either._

Kate nodded. _Point, so how do you think we should go about getting out of here?_

_ Well, first we need to find out if we can breathe air._

_ What about Telnor?_

Erica glanced back at the membrane that served as a door in the wall, barely visible once again. _Maybe he can help?_

_ It can't hurt to ask. _She slowly floated up to her feet. They'd know soon enough.

XXX

Amidst warning klaxons and alarm sirens, Sean entered engineering, dodging crewmen Mills and Wales as they ran out carrying tool boxes. Several of the consoles lining the walls flickered unceremoniously. Blue smokes hissed from underneath the console nearest the door.

Mark glanced over his shoulder as Sean approached. "Never again."

Sean stopped a safe distance from the engineer. "How bad is the damage?"

Mark didn't stop working. "Not as bad as it could have been."

"We had to try Mark." Sean closed his eyes against the guilt in his gut. "But Kate and Erica are dead now, so we have to move on. Can we repair the damage?"

Mark nodded slowly, then turned back to his work. "Most of the cracks in the outer hull have been sealed by the internal forcefields. I've got repair teams checking the inside for large breaches, and we'll have to set down on a planet for a day to fix them. Nothing too severe."

"Or that we haven't done before."

Mark looked up from his work one last time. "No more submarines out of spaceships."

"Fair enough." Sean glanced at the warp core. "They weren't down there that long, any idea as to why the shuttle broke up before you said it would?"

"Not anything beyond speculation." Mark glanced up from his work. "Even the basic structural integrity of the shuttle should've survived that long under water, never mind the reinforcements I made to it and the modifications to the shields. It shouldn't of happened."

"That rules out a mechanical failure, maybe that unknown element in the water had something to do with it."

"Right now that's the only explanation I see."

Sean turned to leave. "I'll run an analysis of my own, let me know if the ship starts falling apart."

"It certainly won't do that."

"Then I leave it in your capable hands." Sean exited engineering and headed for the unused science labs.

XXX

Kate pushed against the membrane of the room. The smooth surface warp and molded against her as she took a step forward. The sensation of being sucked through a small hole enveloped her, and before she knew it... she was on the other side.

The room she had entered was larger, with a high ceiling that stretched up farther than she could see. All around the room, aliens like Telnor swam from point to point, almost as if they were flying. They all looked similar, though their clothing was of multiple styles and colors. Some wore what looked similar to fabric, much like Kate's uniform, others wore living garments like Telnor.

Telnor himself was waiting ahead, floating near the wall. _Greetings once again, how may I help you?_

Kate swam closer to him. _We need you to take us to the surface._

_ Why go there? It is a dangerous place._

_ How so? _Erica swam to the opposite side of Telnor.

_ Many predators patrol the surface, hungry for the great food that is up there._

_ Is there any way to get there? _Kate asked.

_There is a way... but it has been a long time since anyone used it. _Telnor's expression hardened. The smile was gone.

_Please, can you help us?_

_ Alright... let's go. What is one more adventure? _Telnor pushed off the wall and swam upwards._ Come on, we must swim to the top._

_ Docking bay? _Erica's question hung in Kate's mind, but didn't slow her down as she kicked her legs like a whip to swim up.

As they climbed she noticed a number of Telnor's people had stopped and were starring at her. She could feel them communicating amongst each other, but she couldn't interpret their thoughts, almost as if they were whispering, or speaking amongst each other in a crowd.

She glanced above her, making sure they hadn't lost Telnor. He was only a few feet above them, near the ceiling. A large membrane door was in front of them. He pushed against it and it swallowed him.

Kate took a moment to center herself, before pushing through the membrane herself. She felt squeezed, sucked, and then spat back out as she passed through it. The entirely alien feeling of it terrified her each time.

On the other side was a room with another membrane, this one the largest by far, encompassing the entire ceiling. The room was dome shaped, and a single massive creature stood off to the side, sleeping. It had four long legs with webbed feet, and a ridge of spikes along its back and gradually growing. The head hand two large, black eyes, currently closed and barely visible, with a pointed nose and sharp teeth.

As Telnor approached it, the eyes sprang open and the creature stood up, turning to regard the visitors to its chamber. Telnor reached up and pat its nose with his webbed hand. _Hello Kora, I have a favor to ask of you._

To utter amazement, the creature responded. _What is it Telnor?_

_ These two, need to go to the surface. They need to see for themselves that they cannot breath the air anymore._

The creature turned its attention to Kate and Erica, standing just outside the membrane leading to the main chamber. Kate took a cautious step forward. _We need to go to the surface._

_I can see there is no stopping you. _The creature rolled onto its back, exposing a small pouch in it stomach, much like a kangaroo. _I will swim much faster than you will be able to, allow me to carry you._

Telnor did not waste time climbing into the creature's stomach pouch. _Come on, join me. _He gestured for them to join him.

Kate glanced at Erica, momentarily unsure if this was the wisest course of action. Erica simply shrugged and walked towards it. Kate hesitated only a second longer before joining her.

As the creature launched itself up towards the surface of the vast ocean, Telnor spoke. _Kora is a Lysa, a creature that is truly native to this world, they have been our friends since we first came here._

Kate could feel the rapid movement of the water as they passed through it, along with the gradually cooling of the water temperature, but it never felt icy. It never felt suffocating like it had before, but her gut refused to accept this. There was no ground below her, and the inhabitants of the water surrounded them.

_What kind of predators are you expecting? _Erica asked of Telnor.

_The most dangerous is the Alki. They are the masters of the sea. _Telnor squeezed himself down further in the animal's pouch. _They are the fastest and the strongest. They feast on the Tyri and the Mygi that live on the surface, but they will eat anything that they can catch. We must not stay long._

_ Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._ Kate thought to herself. Though there was no turning back now.

XXX

As Sean entered the science lab adjacent to sickbay, the lights came on, but clearly there hadn't been much activity there since they'd started their journey. Though there hadn't really been time, or resources. He placed an empty container on the console.

"Computer, isolate a 1 cubic meter sample of the liquid material on the surface of the planet. Transport it to the container and filter out any identifiable lifeforms."

As the liquid was transported into the container, Lshan entered from sickbay. "Do you need any help Captain?"

"I'm running an analysis of the ocean on the planet, to try and understand why the shuttle broke up."

"Do we have any information to start on?" Lshan's antennae angled forward as she looked at the clear liquid in the container.

"There's an unknown element in the chemical makeup of the water, but its not in our database."

"Computer, run a detailed micro-structural scan on the atomic structure."

The results were displayed on the console before him. Lines of the atoms appeared across the screen, connected in a spiral and cross-linked with molecules on either side. Then, the whole structure shifted and transformed into ball of linked atoms.

"It appears as though the molecules are in a state of flux." She turned to look at the container. A single crack had formed along one side of the transparent aluminum. "Sir... the container."

"Computer, place a level one containment field around the container."

The field sprang up instantly, and at the same instant, the container gave way. The water splashed up against the forcefield.

"Wow." Sean murmured. "That's not natural. Computer, identify the cause of the container break."

"Container failure occurred due to a sudden increase in pressure within the container." The computer replied.

"Source?"

"The rise in pressure was caused by an unknown chemical reaction within the material. Scans are inconclusive."

Lshan's antennae narrowed as she frowned. "The only cause I can come up with is that the unknown element and it's state of flux, is what's causing the changes in pressure. That's what destroyed the shuttle; that's what broke the container."

"The computer said it was caused by a chemical reaction." Sean crossed his arms. "But what was it reacting to?"

"Perhaps the transparent aluminum in the container."

"I wonder..." Sean jogged over to the storage unit in the back. "... how it reacts to different chemicals. If we can determine that, then perhaps we can figure out what caused the shuttle to break apart."

XXX

Kate could see the rays of sunlight, barely penetrating the thick layer of Tyri and Mygi, as they neared the surface. She could only hope that her commbadge was still functioning enough to send a signal.

_I will surface for only a short time. _Kora stated. _I cannot breath the air from above._

_ Hopefully we still can. _Kate allowed herself a glimmer of hope. They were so close.

Kora surfaced in a dramatic fashion, sending wave of Tyri and Mygi in all directions around them, but they were above the oceans. Kate could see the sun, glowing bright as a thousand stars in the bright blue sky. It was beautiful.

Then Kate tried to breath, and immediately her hopes were destroyed. Her chest burned as it absorbed air, causing her to nearly fall out of the pouch. She couldn't even scream, she couldn't breath. She was suffocating from the air itself.

Kora submerged, and finally Kate could breath once more. At least, that's what it felt like. Her entire body shook from the experience. The gnawing feeling of despair crept up from the pit of her stomach and she felt as if she was crying. Thankfully, no one could see her cry, her tears left with the water.

_What the hell was that? _Erica had one hand clutching her chest.

_It is as I told you. _Telnor looked down. _Once you come here, there is no returning._

Erica placed a hand on Kate's shoulder. _Well... we can't just sit here. There's got to be another way to contact the Guenidier._

Kate took a moment before turning to look at her. _We need to send a transmission, something._

Erica turned back to Telnor. _Do you have anything that can be used to communicate non-telepathically?_

Telnor shook his head. _I am afraid that all of the devices that came with us have long since fallen into disrepair. They do not work anymore._

_ What about the ship we came in, was it destroyed completely? _Kate asked, the thought occurring to her for the first time.

Telnor's expression faded to one of confusion. _You came here in a ship?_

_ Yeah, we were near your home when it started taking on water._

_ That would mean it would be along the great mountain range, the Skenor Peaks. It would not have fallen to the bottom._

_ Then there's a chance it's not gone!_ Erica's joy could be felt in her thoughts. _If we could get it back up above the water..._

_ Then we could send a transmission._ Kate completed her thought. _The doctor and Lshan would have a chance at curing this! _Kate launched herself at Erica and sandwiched her in a joyful hug. She then turned and embraced Telnor.

Telnor looked positively shocked and confused. _I do not understand._

Kate shook with laughter. _Its just the first good news we've had. Our Doctor might be able to cure us, maybe even you. Your people wouldn't have to be marooned here._

Telnor looked confused. _But this is our home... while I am overjoyed for you, I do not want to leave._

_ Can you take us to our ship?_

Kora began swimming downward, quickly. _ALKI! Hang on!_

Kate caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of a gigantic shark like creature racing for them as Kora turned away. She had to hold one tight as Kora raced ahead, faster than it had taken them before. Water rushed by them, and Kate had a feeling that the pouch they were sitting in was slowing Kora down.

Within a few short seconds they were racing through a great underwater mountain range. Kate glanced at Telnor. _Are these the Skenor Peaks?_

_ Yes. _Telnor gestured to one of the tallest. _That is Semnora, the tallest of them all._

_ Look! _Erica pointed forward. _That's the shuttle._

True to her word, nestled between the two largest peaks was the shuttle. It looked, for the most part, intact. Though they were soon going to race passed it.

Erica gestured for it. _If we can get the phasers online we might be able to shoot that shark thing._

_ The Alki? _Telnor asked.

_The Alki will soon overtake me. _Kora slowed down momentarily. _I suggest you make for your shuttle, I will try and lead the Alki away._

_ Do nothing of the sort Kora. _Erica ordered. _Try and keep him on this side of the mountains, in front of the shuttle. If you can, we'll be able to kill it._

_ It is too dangerous!_ Telnor looked positively terrified.

_Trust her, we do this all the time._ Kate smiled, then climbed out of the pouch and swam towards the shuttle, dragging Telnor with her. Erica swam on ahead and reached the shuttle only a second before she did.

Erica climbed into her seat and glanced at the power readings. The ship was intact, the only damaged part being the transparent aluminum front viewscreen. The power system was still online, though in a low power standby mode.

The phasers were offline, still rerouted to structural integrity. It was unnecessary now, the pressure on the inside was equal to the pressure on the out. She rerouted the power to the phaser banks. The effective range of the weapons would be limited underwater, but if she narrowed the confinement beam, then she knew she could hit the Alki.

_I'm locking the targeting system on the Alki. _Kate glanced back and forth from in front of them and down at her console. _Bring it in closer Kora._

Kora turned and raced towards the shuttle, the Alki right behind, almost latching on with it's massive teeth. As Kora pulled away, they could see the Alki in all its size. It was at least twenty feet long, with a shark like tail fin and a long mouth with teeth that were visible on the outside. Other fins complemented the look, conforming to what she'd expect from an earth born shark, except that it was so big.

_Firing!_ Erica activated the phaser control system. The shuttle vibrated slightly and then twin beams of orange light shot out from emitters located on either warp nacelle. The beams struck home, stalling the creature's forward progress, but not completely deterring it.

_Uh oh. _Kate glanced at the consoles as warnings lit up. It was hard to make them out exactly due to the water obscuring her vision. However, from what she could tell, there had been a power fall-off in the phaser system.

_That thing's coming back!_ Erica pointed forward. The Alki had completely switched targets after the phaser blast, heading directly for the shuttle. Its mouth was wide open, and given it's rapidly swelling size, this was going to end very badly if they didn't do something fast.

Kate frantically reset the EPS power relays in the shuttle, hoping that it would get the power flowing again. This time, not only did they get power to the phasers, but to the entire shuttle. _You've got power... go!_

Erica lifted the shuttle off the mountain peaks and fired the forward phasers. They arced out again, striking the creature deep in its wide mouth. It continued to barrel ahead, but ceased any other movement. In fact, as they rose in the water, the creature barreled head first into the mountain peak. The impact sent shockwaves through the sea in all directions, jarring the shuttle violently.

Telnor jumped in surprise, banging his head on the shuttle ceiling. _You have killed it! You have saved us. _He then tried to mimic Kate's hug from earlier.

Kate smiled and returned the gesture. _We did it._

XXX

"Computer, what is the effect of the unknown element on the tissue sample?" Sean watched closely as the molecular chains began to change in the tissue. At first the changes were subtle, a single added strand along the edge, barely any identifiable change, but then it spread, slowly encompassing the entire sample.

"The unknown element has begun to restructure the genetic code of the tissue sample, primarily in the area of respiratory function."

"Computer, define the changes to the respiratory function of the tissue." Lshan asked.

"The tissue cellular structure has been modified to process liquid water and transform it into the base elements of hydrogen and oxygen."

"Its almost like gills." Sean murmured to himself. "I wonder..."

"Captain," Klena's voice shattered his concentration. "We've detected a signal from just beneath the water's surface, it is extremely weak, but it appears to have originated from Lieutenant Dulmane."

Was it too much to hope for, that somehow they had escaped death. He couldn't be sure, but even the chance was worth investigating. "I'm on my way." He turned and bolted for the door, not stopping long enough to even give Lshan any instructions about the sample.

It was an agonizing wait in the turbolift, before it finally arrived on the bridge. He stopped at the railing. "Can we confirm its them?"

"The signal is a text only message." Laysi said from operations.

Klena took a seat at the helm. "However, while they may be alive, Lieutenant Dulmane has expressed that they can no longer breath air, and that she is unsure how to proceed."

Sean walked slowly around the railing but didn't sit down. "Can we respond?"

"Yes sir." Laysi replied. "I'll encode everything for a text only response, assuming that they're underwater."

"Tell Erica to hold position, ask her if they can get us scans of their medical condition."

Laysi worked for a moment at her console. "She says she'll send the scans up in a minute, they have a tricorder in the shuttles emergency supplies."

"Send those to sickbay immediately and bring us into the atmosphere, just above them. I want a transporter lock on that shuttlecraft even if it's beneath the surface of the water." He headed back for the turbolift. "Klena, the bridge is yours."

XXX

Sean reentered the science lab adjacent to sickbay to find both Lshan and the EMH working on the sample. There was now a separate canister, also filled with liquid and the tissue sample. "Lieutenant Dulmane and Ensign Filander are alive, but they can't live outside the water of the planet. My guess is their bodies have been altered much like the tissue sample."

"I think we may have a theory on that." Lshan added. "When you left I activated the EMH and filled him in on the situation, he suggested that we see if the sample had the same properties in normal water."

"What did you discover?" Sean walked over to the display.

"When we immersed the substance in standard liquid water, it retained its ability to transform oxygen to water, but the changes to its molecular structure started to reverse themselves."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that it has slowly been reversing the changes made to it by the unknown element in the water on the planet."

"So assuming that this element has had the same effect on Kate and Erica, does that mean we can reverse it though the same process?"

"I believe so."

"Then you have a go, and the resources of this entire ship to perform it."

"Doctor?" Lshan looked to the EMH.

"I'll need to use the holodeck to create the tanks that we'll beam them in to. I will also need precisely 100 cubic meters of water, as the holo emitters will not have the required effect."

"Alright. Lshan, transfer him to holodeck 1 and get everything set up. I'll have the water delivered to you once we replicate it."

XXX

A message appeared on the console before her. Kate smiled. _They've got a plan and we're going to be beamed up here in a minute._

_I'll set the shuttle to return to the ship by itself once we're beamed up. _Erica replied.

Kate glanced out the front of the shuttle, at Telnor and Kora, drifting in the current. _We're going back to our ship, they have the facilities there to fix us, and I'm sure we could do the same for your people Telnor._

Telnor bowed his head. _No, it is not for us. This is our home, it is where our friends are. _He looked back up at them. _I wish you luck in your travels, may you always remember us._

Kate kicked out of the shuttle and swam forward, embracing Telnor. _Thank you for all your help. Without you... well... we'd probably be dead._

_ It is no problem. _Telnor grinned. _Perhaps one day you will visit._

_ Maybe, I don't know. I honestly don't want to go through the transformation process again._

Telnor nodded. _It is understandable, while I have never had to undergo it myself, you speak of it as very painful._

_ We need to get going. _Erica had stood up in the shuttle, waiting to be transported.

Kate swam back into the ship. _Good bye Telnor, good bye Kora. _She waved, and then felt the transporter beam envelop her.

XXX

Two days later, Kate sat in her quarters, going over her report on what had transpired. It was done, but she wanted to make sure it was perfect before submitting it, considering a lot of it sounded ridiculous. To anyone who hadn't been there, they wouldn't have believed it.

Her door chimed. She set down the PADD before opening it. "Captain, what brings you here?"

"I thought I'd bring you some hot chocolate." He said, hand off one of the cups in his hands to her.

"Thank you." Kate took a sip. "Please, come in."

Sean entered enough for the door to close, but leaned against the wall. "How are you?"

"I'm doing better, breathing still hurts a bit, but the doctor says it'll go away in a week. I was just finishing up my report." She handed the PADD to him and sat down on the wall mounted couch. "I wanted to make sure it was perfect before I handed it in... I can't imagine what its going to look like for someone who didn't experience it."

"Well, then its a good thing the only place these reports go to is me." He smiled. "Believe me though, I'm sure stranger things have crossed Starfleet captain's desks."

Kate laughed. "Its definitely the final frontier out here. Do you think the Klingons or the Romulans have ever explored this far into the Beta Quadrant?"

"They might've, but my guess is they passed right over this planet."

"Exploration really isn't their primary goal."

"No."

"What about us? I mean, what about this ship and its crew, what are we here for?"

Sean starred out towards the blue planet just outside the windows. "I thought I knew, we're going here to find allies and to hide; but the more time we spend here, the more it feels like we've fallen astray from our goals."

"What do you mean?" Kate took a sip from her hot chocolate.

"We've got the first one, that isn't hard. I don't believe that Starfleet, or even Starfleet Intelligence could find us this far out, but to find allies..." Sean took a sip of his drink. "I wanted to find allies to bring back in our fight against the Federation, against Starfleet, but I'm not sure that's what we can do here."

"People like Telnor?"

"They're great people, we made a friend on this watery planet, and we know that we can go there and live in the seas if it ever comes to it, but we can't bring them into our war."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"We can't go back, but I think instead of looking for people we can use... I think we need to form friendships with people we can help, so that they can help us."

"Isn't that what we intended to do?" Kate pulled her feet up onto the couch. "We couldn't force anyone to help us."

Sean took another sip. "That's right." He sighed. "I guess I need to do some thinking." He turned and headed for the door. "Thanks Kate, good night."

"Good night Captain."


	10. 1x03 Regarding Wormholes

Sean crossed center ice at a his top speed, his skates leaving deep grooves in the ice as he raced back to his goalie. The player he was chasing, number 55, the one about to score, crossed the blue line. This was it.

Putting every last ounce of effort into his skating, Sean manged to catch up, now parallel with 55. At the same time, he locked his stick with his opponent's and knocked the puck free by slamming his full weight into him.

The effort took him off balance and they both went flying towards the boards. Sean flung his skates out to catch himself. He rolled and came back to his feet, turning back for the other end of the ice. One of his defenseman had picked up the puck and was moving up.

He tapped his stick on the ice, calling for the pass. The puck rocketed off the defenseman's stick and into his. Then he was off, with two of the other team's defensemen between him and the other team's net.

Fighting off the fatigue from chasing down their center, he angled towards the left boards and closed on the defenseman guarding that side. He bounced the puck off the boards at last minute and skated around him.

The defenseman didn't fall for the trick, leaving Sean out of position. He came to a quick stop and turned around, just in time to see the defenseman pass the puck up. Thankfully, one of his forward's picked up the puck quickly.

That left him in a great spot to take the puck all the way up. He caught the pass and raced for the net. The other team's goalie came out of the crease to try and stop him. Spotting an open spot on the far left corner of the goalie, Sean took his shot, just as the holographic exit door opened and Klena entered.

"COMPUTER, FREEZE PROGRAM!" Sean shouted, coming to a sudden and complete halt.

The Vulcan woman didn't show any hint of fear as she walked around the puck suspended in midair only inches before her. Her each step was impeccable, most would've fallen on the ice."Captain, I believe your holodeck time is up."

"It's only been..." Sean trailed off as he looked at the scoreboard suspended above the center of the ice. "Correction, I guess you're right. Just give me a few minutes to get back into my uniform. Computer, save program and hockey game entities." The players, the puck, and the referees all dissolved into air, but the hockey arena remained in place, along with Sean's hockey gear.

Klena nodded. "I believe you should also consider a sonic shower Captain."

Sean sighed. "Yes Klena, I know. I stink." He headed for the locker room to change.

He was in the locker room when suddenly he could feel the entire ship shudder as if hit by weapons fire. "What the..." He mumbled.

"All hands to battlestations, we're under attack!" Nathan's voice boomed over the ship wide intercomm.

Sean sighed, realizing what he had to do. "Computer end program." His hockey pads disappeared, leaving him standing in an open room in his undergarments. He grabbed his uniform now on the floor and quickly put it on, then turned to the door.

There was the faintest sparkle in Klena's blue eyes. "Captain, what an elegant solution/"

"Shut up Klena." Inside though, Sean couldn't help laughing.

XXX

By the time they got to the Bridge, it was clear that this was something big. The lighting had begun to flicker from the moment they had entered the turbolift. One of the impacts had even knocked both him and Klena into the walls of the turbolift.

"Status?" Sean asked as he took his seat at the Bridge.

"The Borg ship came out of a transwarp conduit as we neared this planet." Nathan answered, gesturing to the planet on the viewscreen, partially blocked by the Borg Sphere.

"They haven't even given us the bad news yet." Erica added. "They just opened fire, nearly took out the shield emitters."

"Have we fired the DFP cannons?" Sean gripped the armrests as another volley of fire impacted the shields.

"Yeah, but it only made them angry!" Nathan retorted. "We managed to bring their shields down with the initial volley, but their armor is still intact. I'm firing phasers."

"Torpedoes, full spread, fire!"

"Wait!" Kate yelled before the torpedoes could be fired. "There's a... a... wormhole opening up just beyond the Sphere, and the Borg have turned towards it. They're firing on it!"

"Erica, back us off." Sean ordered. "Get me a sensor report on that wormhole. Borg ship's don't just starting firing on celestial objects."

As the Borg ship opened fire on the wormhole, Sean swore that he could see small ships exiting the wormhole, dodging the massive beam weapons off the Sphere. But they looked like specks of dust on the viewscreen more than ships.

"There are at least one hundred small ships exiting the wormhole, unknown classification." Kate stated.

So he wasn't imagining them, and the Borg ship wasn't just firing on a wormhole. It was firing on the ships, but for it to ignore the ship that had taken its shields, the threat level of the small ships had to be extreme, at least to the Borg.

"Get me a detailed sensor report on those ships. I want to know what kind of firepower they have."

Small pinpricks of light appeared on the hull of the sphere, blossoming into slightly larger explosions as their number intensified. Chunks of hull were torn off and sent flying into space.

"The sphere's hull integrity has been compromised!" Nathan said. "They're going down."

Seconds later, a titanic explosion ripped through the sphere, destroying the ship from the inside out. Sean held his breath as the cloud of ship closed on them. "Open a channel."

"Captain, we're being hailed." Klena interrupted. "The signal is emanating from the wormhole, not the unknown ships."

"Let's hear it."

"Attention unknown vessel," A cultured, but aged, male voice, equally faceless, ordered. "Stand down at once or we will open fire on you."

"Stand down weapons, but keep our shields up." Sean stood up, facing towards the wormhole on the screen.

Nathan's response was an expression of shock. "Captain, we have no way..."

Sean silenced him with a swift wave of the hand. "I'm Captain Sean Cunningham of the HMS Guenidier, we're not here for a fight. But you'll have to forgive me if I don't lower my shields after that little display."

"Senior Adjutant Kaiy Min, Kithosian Home Defense Force. What is your purpose in our space?"

Sean glanced over at Klena and Kate, motioning for them to mute the channel. "Any entries about them in the Federation database?"

Kate shook her head in a definite no. "Not even a survey record from a long distance scoutship."

"The embedded Vulcan database also has no record." Klena added.

He motioned for them to unmute the channel. "Adjutant Min, we were unaware that this was your territory. We're on a mission to explore this area of space." He hoped his exaggeration went unnoticed.

"We detected a massive energy surge from this are of space before we opened the gateway, was this you?"

"Probably." Sean shrugged. "At the time we were engaged in combat with the Borg ship you just destroyed, so you could have detected weapons fire."

"An enemy of the Borg, is a friend to us." Kaiy's tone had lightened. "Please, journey through the gateway with our attack squadron, they will be your escorts to our world, Supreme Lord Maja has a desire to meet you."

"Thank you for your invitation Adjutant. We'll proceed into the 'gateway.'"

With that the channel closed. Sean sat back down in his chair. "Take us into the wormhole Erica."

"Captain, I finally got detailed readings on their ships." Kate said, superimposing an image of the two types of fighters on the viewscreen. "The one of the left is armed with what I believe is a torpedo launcher, though the exact armament is unknown."

"The ships each carry a single person, encased in that glass sphere, filled with some kind of fluid, and a single engine powers the craft."

The cockpit was mounted to the left of engine, with the torpedo launcher mounted on the other side. On either side were small black wings that had control surfaces for atmospheric flight.

"The other ship has six small pulse weapons mounted on the wings, arching downward from the cockpit, which is mounted below the engine." Kate continued. "I can't get exact readings on the firepower in the pulse weapons either."

"Probably not much." Nathan commented. "At least by our technological standards. They're about the size of a phaser rifle."

"Remember that they roasted a Borg Sphere." Sean added. "My guess is there's a bit more than meets the eye."

"I'm taking us in." Erica said, as the ship neared the event horizon of the wormhole. "Here goes nothing."

A slight tremor passed through the ship and brilliant array of colors from the inside of the wormhole assailed the screen. Rings of blue and interwoven lines of red and purple formed a central tunnel, only partially shielding the ship from a brilliant white light on all sides of them.

A second tremor passed through the ship as they exited back into normal space seconds later, the bright lights intensifying for a short time and then fading into normal space. A brilliant red nebulae stretched out across the canvas of space encircling a green planet in front of them.

Erica whistled. "Talk about a celestial masterpiece."

In orbit around the planet, three massive wormholes were open, with six large ships in orbit around the wormholes. Upon closer inspection, the wormholes were actually contained within large ring structures, with large pods built into the outermost ring. Each pod was connected by a structure and was lit up with a brilliant sky blue light that almost matched the color of the wormhole.

"Those gates," Sean said, gesturing to them on the viewscreen. "Are they actually generating the wormholes?"

Kate glanced at the display behind her. "They are... the singularities are maintained by a field of... enormous magnitude. I can't even begun to speculate at the type of energy being used."

"Another piece of evidence suggesting that their technology is far superior to that used by Starfleet." Klena said.

"How far did that wormhole take us?" Sean asked.

"It took us a few light years," Erica said with a quick check to her console, "nothing we couldn't have traversed on warp power."

"We're being hailed, from the planet." Klena announced.

Sean shrugged. "Put them on screen."

"Captain, it is an audio only signal. Channel is open."

"Captain Cunningham." A new voice came over the bridge speakers, notably arrogant in tone, but also dismissive, and possibly childish from it's tone. "I am Supreme Lord Hyiah Maja, and I welcome you to Kithosia. I would do me great honor if we could meet in person."

"I would be an honor." Sean returned in his best diplomatically neutral voice.

"Splendid, join us tonight for a formal occasion in my palace. Demi-Adjunct Ling will fill you in with the details." The Supreme Lord's voice had quickly turned dismissive, almost as if he was bored with the conversation.

"Well... that was rude." Nathan chuckled.

"Yeah, kinda." Sean took a deep breath. The title of Supreme Lord bothered him, it felt like King. Where there was a king, there probably wasn't democracy. His initial impression was that the Supreme Lord certainly wasn't a gentle ruler either, not that any monarchy was truly gentle, regardless of the intentions of their rulers.

"A ship is approaching." Kate said, breaking Sean free of his train of thoughts. "They're requesting permission to dock."

Sean looked up to see a small ship approaching them, it was of the same class as the torpedo ships before. That meant a single occupant, but he had to wonder how they were going to communicate considering the pilot was in a compartment filled with a fluid. "Give them permission, and send a security team to the shuttle bay. Klena, you're with me."

As he entered the turbolift he tapped his commbadge. "Mark, meet me in the shuttle bay. You'll want to get a good look at the ship we're bringing in."

"On my way." The engineer responded.

XXX

The ship that set down in the shuttlebay looked a lot bigger up close than it did outside the ship. However, it was still smaller than a shuttle, and significantly more streamlined. The ship hovered mere centimeters off the floor, showing no sign of powering down.

Sean nodded to Crewman Jason Striker and Crewman Ellen Tyler, both keeping a watchful eye from the balcony. Mark entered from behind Sean and Klena only seconds after they arrived.

"That's a unique design." He murmured. "And it's small."

"Approximately half the size a standard type 9 shuttlecraft." Klena clarified. "Though they have not shown any indication of docking."

Sean took a step forward. "I'm Captain Cunningham."

There was a whine, followed by the sudden appearance of a small wormhole before them. The swirling mists formed into tight lines and gave the appearance of a window into another space. They could see through it and to the other side, making it far more than a wormhole, almost a portal.

Coming towards it from the other side was a young woman, with dark blue hair, pinned up behind her head in an elaborate headpiece, and matching dark blue eyes. She looked remarkably human, in fact, almost completely so. The only distinguishing features were her hands, which were three fingered.

She wore an elaborate long green dress that sparkled as she stepped through the opening. The dress was strapless, leaving her shoulders and arms bare. She carried a black folder in one hand, with unreadable letters on the cover.

"Captain Cunningham, I am Demi Adjunct Brie Ling, Public Affairs Secretary to the Supreme Lord." She kneeled before him.

The position made him feel like he was being elevated, for a reason he didn't know. Taken aback, he said, "Please, there's no need to kneel."

The Demi Adjunct slowly rose, as if showing deference, keeping her eyes to the floor. "Thank you Captain." She brought a hand up to her ear. "You speak Kithosian?"

"Our vessel uses a device called a universal translator." Klena quickly added. "It operates throughout the entire ship and translates languages so that we all understand one another."

"I can hear it, you speak a different language than Captain Cunningham." Her eyes rose to meet Klena's for only a second, then they darted back to the floor.

"Yes."

"I don't suppose I could get you to tell me how that... 'portal' works?" Mark asked, gesturing to the ship and the portal.

"I apologize sir, but I am not authorized to discuss this, perhaps the Supreme Lord will enlighten you tonight."

"I'll be sure to ask." Sean whispered to the engineer.

Brie turned to the ship. "Thank you, I will signal you for pickup when needed."

Just as quickly as it had appeared the portal closed and the ship turned around, departing through the open double doors into space.

"I suppose a short tour is in order." Sean gestured to the large door at the rear of the bay leading to the hallways, "if you would follow me."

XXX

"The HMS Guenidier is an Intrepid class starship, built by the United Federation of Planets." Sean said, as the group neared engineering. He and Klena were walking to either side of Brie, and Mark was a few steps further ahead.

"I do not know this United Federation of Planets." Brie stated. "Would you please elaborate?"

"Its a very large governing body covering over a thousand star systems surrounding my homeworld. We're a long way from them however."

"Explain."

Sean caught the quick glance from Klena that reminded him to not tell her everything. "We're out here exploring, meeting new people. We've been out of contact for almost a month now." Technically it wasn't a lie.

"And they built this starship for this assignment?"

"The Intrepid class was designed for exploration yes. To that end it's also one of the fastest ships in the fleet." He said as they entered engineering.

"This is Engineering, this is where my chief engineer spends most of his time, working on the engines. The warp reactor, enables our faster than light travel." He gestured to the warp core and walked closer to it. "It uses a carefully controlled reaction of matter and anti-matter to create massive amounts of power."

"Intriguing." Brie said. "Our scientists have long theorized that such methods of power generation were possible, but all our attempts at harnessing the energy have failed."

"Perhaps we'll be able to lend a hand." Sean said. "In time."

"The Supreme Lord would welcome it."

Sean turned and led her out of Engineering. Mark stayed, and Klena brought up the rear. "We use a system of turbolifts to move around quickly in the ship."

"What is this turbolift?" Brie asked, as they neared the end of the hall.

"The system is comprised of small rooms, that are capable of moving throughout the ship in specially designed passageways." Klena elaborated quickly.

They entered. "Computer, Deck 8 Stellar Cartography." The turbolift sped upwards into the ship.

Brie flinched. "We're moving."

"Rather fast too." Sean replied with a subtle grin.

The doors opened and Sean stepped out, playing tour guide once more. "To further our scientific mission, we have a specially equipped science lab, Stellar Cartography." He walked through the door on his right.

Stellar Cartography hadn't seen much use since they'd become renegades, but Klena had been tracking their course and creating a map of the region of space as they'd went. The lab was a third generation model, based heavily off the astrometrics lab developed on Voyager during the ship's long tenure in the Delta Quadrant.

"Since we entered this region of space," Klena called up the local map, "I have been monitoring our progress and mapping the area."

"A useful tool for explorers." Brie commented. "Are you mapping Kithosian space now?"

"Not actively." Klena replied. "Our passive sensor pallet can only provide precise data on the handful of stellar bodies in this region."

"What can they detect?"

Klena zoomed the display in on the Kithosian planet. "For instance, your planet would be classified as M-class in our classification system. Your planet has all the resources and landmasses to support high levels of indigenous life. It is similar to the Captain's homeworld."

She paused, letting the information sink in. "Your planet's rings are rich in natural resources, though some of the elements are unidentifiable without a detailed scan. It is likely that they are unique to this region of space."

"Interesting." Brie moved to say something else, then stopped. "Captain, the Supreme Lord has information he would like me to deliver, I simply do not believe we have time for this."

Sean glanced at Klena. The Vulcan merely quirked an eyebrow. "Very well." Sean replied, gesturing for the door.

XXX

Sean collapsed into the chair behind the desk in his ready room, gesturing for Brie to take a seat on the opposite side of the desk. "Alright, what's this information?"

She sat. Klena took the other seat. Brie took a moment and opened her folder, inspecting several of the sheets of paper inside it before closing it once again and setting it in her lap. "The Supreme Lord has invited you to be a guest of honor at the Royal Ball. As such 'appearances' are expected to be maintained."

Brie opened her folder again. "The dress is formal, males will wear formal military or royal attire. All males must be escorted by a personally chosen female escort. They will be dressed in a formal gown of the male's choosing."

Brie paused, shifting to another sheet of paper. "Escorts must remain with their male at all times. They should not speak unless spoken directly to directly, and must kneel in deference to their superiors when introduced, such as when you meet the Supreme Lord."

Sean blinked a few times, glanced over at Klena as she quirked an eyebrow, but remained silent. "Okay, these are your customs, we'll uphold them. How long of an evening should I prepare for?"

"The Supreme Lord by custom provides each guest and his escort with a room for the night after the party and they are expected to take him up on this offer."

"This is tradition?" Klena asked.

"Each new Supreme Lord has added to the tradition or modified it in any way they see fit." Brie replied. "It is his right as our Sovereign."

Sean frowned, but bit his tongue against saying anything else. "And how is he chosen?"

The question took Brie by surprise. "They are chosen by the will of the elected majority."

Sean breathed a sigh of relief. At least if he was a monarch it was an elected one. To him, the entire system felt wrong on so many levels. Even as a trained Starfleet captain he hadn't changed his views on the lack of accountability in a totalitarian government, even as another culture's normal system.

"Anything else?" Sean leaned back in his chair, still chewing on his tongue. He was trying to appear relaxed. He knew Klena could see right through it, but hopefully Brie didn't.

"If you have the ability to translate our written language as well, I can give you an itinerary that details the events of the evening." She pulled a piece of paper from her folder and handed it to him. True to form, he couldn't read it, but the universal translator could.

"It seems I have quite a bit of work to do before this evening's festivities." Sean gestured for the door. "Klena, if you would continue the tour for our guest."

"That won't be necessary Captain." Brie said before Klena even had a chance to stand. "I've overstayed my welcome."

"Not at all." Klena replied in turn, addressing the Kithosian. "You are welcome to stay for as long as you wish."

"I wish that were true, now if you'll please take me back to the hanger were I was dropped off."

Sean caught a wary glance from Klena: a tell-tale sign that she was notably disturbed. He nodded silently, they knew each other well enough to understand that he agreed. "Well then, Klena, escort our guest back to the shuttle bay."

"Demi-Adjutant, if you'd follow me." Klena took Brie out the side door to the hallways behind the Bridge.

Sean fed the characters from the itinerary into his desk computer and set the Universal translator to work on sorting out the meanings. Estimated completion time was a few minutes. He wasn't going to wait around though, the matter still hadn't be solved... he needed an 'escort.'

He took a moment to laugh at himself as he walked back onto the Bridge. It was like asking a girl to a formal at Starfleet academy. He could remember fondly a few, and the jitters he always got about the whole process of asking. This reminded him just too much of that.

"She was overdressed." Erica mentioned from the helm console. "I mean... a strapless gown? You can't possibly think she wears that every day."

"I thought it was beautiful." Kate retorted. "Don't you enjoy getting dressed up?"

Erica glanced back at her friend. "Seriously, you do?"

Kate smiled and shrugged in response, "I guess I do."

"Well, that solves that." Sean announced, making sure to catch both Kate and Erica's bewildered reactions.

"What solves what Captain?" Kate asked slowly.

Sean sighed. "As it was done when we were all younger, I need someone to accompany me as an escort to their formal gathering tonight. Will you do me the honor Kate?"

Nathan, having previously ignored the conversation immediately looked up and zeroed in on his Captain. "What?"

"I'm not repeating it." Sean snapped, giving Nathan a glare. "You know good and well what I said."

Kate blinked once, twice, three times and started turning a shape of crimson he'd never seen before. She covered her face, looking away for a second, composing herself, before finally speaking. "Do I get to dress up?"

"It's expected." Sean replied. "There's a heap of protocol too... I'll need to brief you on the way down."

"Got it Captain!" Kate darted for the turbolift.

Sean glanced over to find Nathan staring at him, a look of total shock on his face. So much shock in fact that his mouth was still hanging wide open. "Yes Commander?"

Nathan promptly realized his mistake. "Nothing Captain." He closed his mouth and turned back to his console, doing his best to appear busy, another lie. His crew seemed to be particularly good at it.

"Captain." Klena's voice emanated from the intercomm. "Our guest has just departed."

Sean tapped his commbadge. "Good, meet me in my quarters, I need to discuss our guest with you."

XXX

It felt like a sin, putting a Starfleet dress uniform back on. It was foreign to him, representing something he'd left behind. Sean pushed past it. He hadn't left Starfleet, but Starfleet had certainly left him. Perhaps, some day, once all this mess was over, he'd be able to go back home and wear the uniform he'd so proudly taken up again.

The was a chime at the door. "Enter," Sean called, putting the last pip on the collar of the otherwise plain uniform.

"You wanted to speak to me Captain." Klena said, entering just enough for the door to close behind her.

Sean gestured for her to take a seat on the window bench, while he sat on his bed. "Did something strike you as off with our guest?"

"Her mannerisms are characteristic of a servant." Klena said. "However, that may simply be their culture when greeting outsiders. A show of deference and respect."

"Still seems a bit extreme to me."

"You must be mindful that they are not human and their culture is very different." Klena glanced out the window at the horizon of the planet. "However you are correct, by our standards, it could be viewed as her not having equal rights, which is one of Starfleet's founding principals."

Sean nodded. "What about the rules she put forth about tonight's ceremony, thoughts?"

"Protocol by itself may be a remnant of an earlier time, many cultures on Earth have the same desire for keeping a degree of protocol from the past as a way of keeping a tie to it."

"Why do I still get a sexist vibe from it though?"

"That's because it is there Captain. Their culture seems to dictate that your escort is property of you. You are responsible for her, and her sole function appears to be aesthetic."

"To look pretty basically." Sean frowned. "And then there's the stay the night policy."

"Indeed, Ensign Filander will no doubt make for interesting company and will certainly have little difficulty filling the requirement to be 'pretty.'"

Sean smiled. "I dare you to say that to Kate's face."

The Vulcan woman's eye twinkled like stars from making the pun. "Perhaps I shall captain." She took a breath, changing subject. "However, based on our limited communication with the Supreme Lord, we have little reason to believe he is anything more than a figurehead."

"Yeah, he didn't seem to really want to talk to us. He's probably got advisers, I'll see if I can't pick out one of them at the dinner, my guess is they'll be there."

"And your guess Captain is probably right."

There was another chime at the door. "Enter." Sean yelled across the room.

Klena rose to her feet as Kate entered, wearing a magnificently bright red dress. The top was backless, leaving the entire dress to be supported by a single tie around her neck. An additional slit ran down her chest, no doubt to draw eyes. The rest of the gown flowed to just above the floor. Her hair was worn down at her shoulders, tied back just so it stayed out of her way.

Kate tugged at the edges of her dress and made it flow a bit. "I think I'm getting a bit old for this."

"Not at all Ensign." Klena replied. "This gown will no doubt completely fulfill the requirements."

"Which are?" Kate asked.

Klena looked to Sean, who threw the Vulcan another glare. Sean sighed. "While skirting the boarders of professionalism here, to look fantastic."

Kate turned a slight shade of crimson. "It's like being 19 again, going on fancy dates back at Starfleet Academy."

"Not quite." Sean grabbed a pad from his desk. "I only wish it were that easy. These are the rules of the evening here, the most important as I understand it is that you don't leave my side and you don't speak unless spoken to."

"That certainly is no fun." Kate shrugged. "Guess we'll have to improvise." She continued reading. "Wow... why do I feel like property in this?"

"That's the vibe we were getting from it." Sean replied. "However, it might also just be ancient protocol. We'll have to go there and find out."

Kate looked up and at Sean, then Klena, then back to Sean. "You do realize here it says we're pretty much expected to have sex... right?"

"That's certainly implied." Sean retorted slowly. "But, without being explicitly stated I think we can get away with not."

"Why Captain, I'm hurt." Kate grinned from ear to ear, proud of her ability to completely throw her captain off track.

"Ummm... ensign..." Sean was certainly taken aback by her response. He honestly did not even know how to respond.

"I'm sorry Captain, I had to." Kate threw her hands up in the air in surrender. "We'll just have to make appearances as such."

"Good, glad we got that... straightened out." Sean realized he was slowly turning red, especially from both womens' stares.

"Captain." Nathan's voice came over the ship intercomm. "We're receiving transmission from the surface, they transmitted landing coordinates and said the ceremony starts in an hour."

Sean tapped his commbadge. "Thanks Nathan." He turned back to Kate. "Guess they want us to shuttle down, we better get moving."

"Good luck Captain." Klena added. "Try not to have too much fun."

Sean chose not to respond, knowing he was already turning red from it.

XXX

The shuttle set down in a verdant field just beyond the palace walls. Compared to the wooden fence around the field, the massive palace looked out of place. It resembled their ships, with many large domed structures of what had to be pure transparent aluminum. They glowed brightly in the dark of the countryside. Supporting them were large horizontal circular rings supported by large pillars. A giant dome topped the structure at the top of the tallest ring.

The inside was hollow though. But the whole thing stood in contrast to the field which even contained a small farmhouse off in the distance, constructed of wood. Perhaps it was simply the owners choice, and perhaps it was merely a ruse for a guard post or something of the like, Sean had to try to refrain from snap judgments.

"Well that certainly looks rather high-tech." Kate murmured as they walked down the shuttle's ramp.

Waiting for them was Brie, kneeling with her head tilted towards the ground. "Captain Cunningham, the Supreme Lord wishes to welcome you to our planet. I am to escort you to the banquet hall."

"Thank you." Sean said softly. "You don't have to..."

"Your ship, your rules Captain." Brie replied quickly and in a hushed tone. "Here, the rules are much different. Now please follow me." Without meeting his gaze, Brie stood up and began walking towards the palace alone a small paved path.

Sean caught Kate's nervous glance. "I know Kate, just stay on your toes and remember the rules. You'll do fine."

"Don't worry about me Captain." Kate swallowed, then wrapped her arm around his.

"Kate..."

"Keeping up appearances Captain." She smiled, meeting his gaze. "And I'd rather be known as your property than anyone else's down here."

"I suppose that's true, even though you're no one's property." Sean slowly followed behind Brie with Kate's arm linked with his.

"I appreciate the thought." Kate reached down and squeezed his hand, before returning to the original position as they continued walking.

The size of a palace became apparent as they neared it. It simply dwarfed them and everything around it. Sean hadn't realized just how far it had been. Eventually, they were led to a turbolift in one of the supporting columns.

The turbolift shot upward. From a window they could see the ground being left behind as they headed, most likely, towards the top of the palace. Of course, in hindsight, they should've expected it.

A door near near in the back of the turbolift opened when they reached the top into a long elegant passageway. The floor was marble with tiles that glowed from a light source coming from below. The walls consisted of three parts, with a glowing teal center panel paired with two other blue panels. The entire effect gave the palace a biological feel.

The clicking of Brie's and Kate's heels on the floor reminded him such was the case as they walked down the hall.

"These are the guest rooms, after the meal you will be allowed to retire to here for the night." She stopped at one in particular. "This will be your room." As she spoke she never met their eyes, always keeping her face to the floor.

Sean noted the characters printed on the door, committing them to memory. They weren't anything in the various alphabets he recognized, but they did subtly resemble a 7 and a S. It would be enough to find the room again when they had to return this way.

Brie stopped at the end of the hall, which widened before a grand set of double doors elaborately varnished in gold trim with a base of glass. They swung wide and Sean and Kate approached, revealing a massive dinner hall, decorated in the highest of fashion. Gold and silver abounded everywhere. Elaborately dressed visitors and their equally impressive escorts milled about under a chandelier that hovered over the tables near the center, brilliantly illuminating the space in a teal glow.

"Oh my god..." Kate murmured. "Look at the dresses!"

Sean glanced back to find Brie gone, leaving just him and Kate standing in the doorway. With a gentle push, they both walked forward, into the light. In a display of pomp and bluster that would probably be on par with the French of the early renaissance era of Earth's history, he felt incredibly under-dressed.

"My god... look at the jewels they're wearing." Kate whispered.

"We could burn out our replicator just trying to fabricate cheap approximations of it." Sean replied, keeping his voice equally hushed. "I'll give them this... this is a very elaborate display."

"Elaborate doesn't cover it captain."

They hadn't made it ten feet before they encountered what Sean had to guess was the Supreme Lord. He was impeccably dressed, wearing an elaborate green silk uniform. An ebony cape completed the ensemble. His black hair was long, but cleanly tailored and exquisitely groomed. His uniform resembled the uniforms of naval captains from long ago, with dozens of medals and other needless shiny objects covering it.

At either side of him was a young Kithosian woman. Judging simply by earth standards, they couldn't be much older than 18. They both wore matching gowns of teal and silver, strapless much like Brie's had been, but with sparkles that accented the lighting from the chandelier. Their dark hair had been done up in elaborate buns. Both of them kept their heads down, but each had their arms interlocked with the Supreme Lord's.

"I am the Supreme Lord Maja, sovereign of this world and all it's inhabitants... you do not look like the usual guests, so you must be Captain Cunningham." The recognition was off hand, and the Supreme Lord met Sean's eyes only briefly before traveling to Kate. Despite the two women already at his side, his eyes settled on Kate in a manor which disturbed him. The look in the Supreme Lord's eyes was almost primal.

In an effort to draw attention back away from Kate, Sean replied. "It's my pleasure to meet you."

The effort went completely unnoticed, aside from the Supreme Lord responding. "Likewise Captain... I must say, she truly is a beauty... but beauty is no excuse for not knowing her place."

Sean glanced at Kate, who was meeting the Supreme Lord's gaze with a very hostile glare. He didn't even have time to react, as a hand zipped across the space between them and struck Kate in the cheek. The blow knocked her sideways, forcing Sean to catch her before she feel.

"What the..."

Kate was almost struck again, but Sean was faster this time, switching places with her and grabbing the Supreme Lord's arm in mid strike. The sudden stop was enough to finally catch the Supreme Lord's attention, and that of his two escorts, both of whom were now looking directly at him.

"You touch her again, and you won't have a hand left." Sean met the Supreme Lord in an icy glare. "You hope to work with me, you'd better not assault my... escort."

"Make sure she knows her place Captain, or perhaps she desires to be know as a prostitute for the evening." The Supreme Lord withdrew his hand. "I'm sure there are many here who would take advantage of it."

Kate placed a hand on Sean's shoulder, drawing his attention back to her. A gentle shake of her head convinced him to drop the case. For the moment, he held his anger in check.

Sean waited for the Supreme Lord to leave before he relaxed. "You alright?"

Kate nodded. "I'll just keep my nose to the floor to avoid any more trouble tonight."

"I'm sorry I brought you into this Ensign." Sean offered his arm once again.

"Don't worry 'bout it Captain." Kate smiled nervously. "It was totally worth it to get dressed up and to see those dresses... I so want one."

XXX

The Bridge was near silent as Klena stood at the Operation's console of the Bridge, running a steady array of scans on the planet below them. She hadn't been lying when she said to the Demi-Adjutant that they had only been running passive scans, but she'd since changed the sensor pallets, now running active scans.

The results were interesting to say the least. The area near the Captain's shuttle was livid with advanced, and impossible to determine sources of power. The sensors couldn't tell if it was a singularity, similar to the Romulan design, a warp powered reactor, or even something completely alien. They simply couldn't get a solid lock on it.

However, there were isolated pockets that had the strange power readings. Many other concentrated areas of lifeforms ran on power sources that were being identified as Nuclear, Hydroelectric, and some as primitive as chemical combustion. The contrast was striking.

Leaving a single sensor array targeted on the Captain's position, if for no other reason than to track him and Ensign Filander, she targeted the other arrays on the various population centers. The sensor readings immediately displayed an entirely different story.

Whereas the palace area in particular was very clean and mostly rural, the population centers teemed with life, in fact, at levels that would normally be considered dangerous to the development to society. In addition to that, high levels of industrial pollution were present in the air, some of chemicals she couldn't even begin to analyze.

And these readings held steady at all of the population centers, concentrated on two continents in the northern hemisphere of the planet. The southern hemisphere seemed to be relatively desolate, with minimal life signatures.

Klena shifted the sensor pallets to the southern continent. Here pollution was even worse, ranging from nuclear to combustion to even more of the foreign chemicals. But, as she continued her scans, certain areas returned empty results, devoid of anything. Normally that meant a jamming field.

With a quick reprogramming the entire sensor array probed one of the deadzones. It broke through the jamming after a few seconds, illuminating an underground industrial complex. Based on the scans, there were many many more of the Kithosian spacecraft down there. An entire hemisphere devoted to what seemed to be military production. What were the Kithosians not telling them?

"Commander Stark, your assessment of these sensor readings?" Klena asked.

The tactical officer glanced down at his console as she transferred her reading over to him. "Well, it could make a lot of tactical sense, if they're in a some kind of war. But having the majority of their population concentrated there would negate that logic." Nathan finished.

"Lieutenant, your opinion?" Klena asked Erica while projecting a summary of the data onto the viewscreen.

"Interesting." Erica stared at the data for a bit, crunching numbers and figures in her head. "I see the contradiction you're talking about."

"We require more information."

"The southern continent is pretty much off-limits without some kind of environment suit."

"I think those cities wouldn't be bad." Nathan added. "Provided we didn't stay long, if we brought respirators that'd ensure we'd be safe." He glanced at the readings on his consoles again. "The computer is not identifying the unknown chemicals as hazardous to humans, that's not to say they're good for you though."

"Of course not Commander." Klena replied, coming out from around the operations console. "Have Commander Turner meet me in the transporter room, and tell him to suit up in the camouflage jackets. We'll bring phaser rifles, but hopefully we will not need them."

"We gonna ask the Kithosians about this?" Erica asked, swiveling her chair around to face Klena at the turbolift.

"No." Klena replied. "This will simply be an intelligence gathering mission, no contact with the indigenous population."

"That's a given, but shouldn't we ask?" Nathan queried.

"No, my analysis of them indicates that they have something to hide here. To find what is hidden requires that we be creative."

Erica snorted. "2 years and you still surprise me Commander."

"Be careful." Nathan added seriously. "There's no telling what's down there."

"Commander, the ship is yours until we return."

"Understood."

XXX

The Supreme Lord had been talking for an hour. Course that was basing it purely on speculation, which considering how bored everyone in the room looked suggested this was a formality that was enforced and expected. However, he'd yet to see the point.

Sean had been to his share of formal events which involved a speaker, all throughout his former Starfleet career. But the Supreme Lord had yet to chose a topic and stick with it. It seemed more like he was trying very very hard just to keep talking as if it was a mark of pride if it wasn't a certain length.

He and Kate had been seated near the back, honestly out of the way of the normal evenings guests, in a small alcove. The table was set ornamentally with plates and glasses, a bottle of some sort of fermented alcoholic beverage had been provided. Neither of them had taken a sip as of yet, not knowing what possible effects it could have.

"He's back on the topic of social reforms." Kate whispered.

Sean nodded. "Which he obviously knows nothing about."

Since being seated, their exchange had been limited to brief quips about the Supreme Lord's speech. Which was easy given their position in the back of the dining hall, away from the other guests. Guards in uniforms comprised of more lace than most of the women's dresses here stood at attention alone the walls, carrying glistening ceremonial spears.

Since their initial exchange with the Supreme Lord, there hadn't been any further contact. Which was fine with Sean at this point, given the Supreme Lord's attitude and after listening to the speech for the better part of an hour, he doubted the Supreme Lord really did much. Which then posed the question, who actually ran things? That remained unknown.

"Oh thank god..." Kate murmured.

Sean looked up, stopping his train of thought and noticed that the Supreme Lord had ceased talking. There was silence in the room, a few of the guests had bowed their heads reverently. The Supreme Lord continued to hold their attention for some time, before finally moving to take his seat.

An army of servants swarmed out into the main area, dressed in slightly less extravagant, but nonetheless frivolous attire. Each carried either a large tray of food or a pitcher of the Kithosian beverage. They were served last but that didn't bother Sean, he spent the time waiting watching and observing how the Kithosian ate.

When their plates were set he got a good look at the untensils. Similar to the fork and knife used on earth except the fork had 3 points arranged in a triangular fashion, more like a spear than the earth fork. The knife was finely serrated and nearly identical.

The dish before each of them was massive, a well cooked piece of dark meat covered in a rich clear sauce. Sean noticed Kate covertly scanning it with a tricorder. He smirked. "Harmless?"

"No idea what it'll do to your stomach Captain," Kate replied with a large smile, "but there's no dangerous chemicals or biological contaminants."

"Good then..."

"May I join you Captain Cunningham?"

Sean glanced up, noticing that two Kithosian men had stepped up to the table. Their both wore attire similar to the Supreme Lord, but instead of just lace, they were both heavily saddled with medals and both wore a red sash. Given their appearance, he was going to hazard a guess they were high ranking members of the Kithosian military.

"It's your house." Sean replied nonchalantly. "You make the rules here."

"Not us, that's the Supreme Lord." One replied. He was bald, looked like he'd had a hard life fighting. Lines of age showed in his hands and his visage. "Senior Adjutant Kaiy Min, commander of the Kithosian Defense Forces, we conversed briefly in orbit."

"Indeed."

The other one, younger with only a touch of gray in his teal hair and slightly fewer medals spoke. "Adjutant Kyi Lin, 1st Company Commander."

"To what do we owe the pleasure gentlemen?"

"We're here to discuss some matters that the Supreme Lord, to be frank, has no tact for." The Senior Adjutant stated. "I witnessed the earlier spectacle with the Supreme Lord, not many people have the courage to stand up to him. Your starship is the only reason he didn't have you arrested then and there."

"I know he didn't exactly appreciate Ka... my escort's conduct." Sean did his best not to frown at using the term. "However his reaction was beyond acceptable, I don't care what culture you're from."

"We're not here to discuss that." Adjutant Lin quickly added. "We're here to discuss the possibility of an alliance."

"You've scanned us, and we've scanned you, of that I'm sure neither of us has any doubt." Senior Adjutant Min bluntly stated. "The Borg are a very real threat here, especially to the Kithosian people, but they're not the only ones."

"Who else?" Kate asked, drawing attention from both of the Adjutants. She quickly looked down and away.

"There is one other power in this region of space, the Valarians." Adjutant Lin added. "They themselves are less of a target for the Borg, because they choose to live in relative poverty, hiding their true power."

"The Borg come here only on occasion." Senior Adjutant Min continued. "When they do, we fight them off and then they don't come around for awhile. However, the last war we had with the Valarians resulted in millions dead."

"The last war?" Sean asked. "Why do I get the feeling it wasn't the first?"

"We've been in a near constant struggle with them for the last hundred years, since we first met on one of our colony worlds. They claimed they'd discovered it first, which in itself was a lie. Kithosian warships responded in kind, sparking the first conflict which would last three years and destroy that world. It happens again and again, neither side has been able to gain an advantage."

"And you want our help to end it or..."

"We propose a sharing of technologies." Adjutant Lin interrupted. "Both sides benefit from this agreement."

"We can also offer a host of information regarding this area of space." Senior Adjutant Min continued.

"And the Supreme Lord?" Sean gestured over to the Supreme Lord's table.

"He is very interested in your escort, nothing more." The Senior Adjutant leaned back in the chair. "However, his cultural bias prevents him from seeing this issue with clarity. Make no mistake Captain, we want you as our allies."

"I hope you don't expect me to make a decision now." Sean stated rhetorically. "I'll need to discuss this with my crew."

"Of course."

Adjutant Lin carefully withdrew a small sheet of paper from his blouse. "This paper contains the communication frequencies to contact us directly, bypassing the Supreme Lord." He handed the paper to Sean.

"We assume you have the ability to translate it." Senior Adjutant Min said. "As evidence by your ability to communicate and understand."

"Yes." Sean replied. "We can translate it."

"Then we will not keep you from the evening any longer."

Both men stood again and quickly departed, heading back to their respective tables.

"That was progress." Sean murmured. "What do you think Kate?"

Kate swallowed visibly. "I don't like it Captain, I don't like it at all."

"Let's finish the evening and tackle the issue later." Sean slipped the piece of paper into a hidden pocket on the inside of his uniform, before turning his attention to the food again.

XXX

The camouflage jacket blended seamlessly into the forest as Klena gazed out onto the town. Mark rested against a tree nearby. He kept his phaser rifle in hand, while Klena kept hers strapped to the jacket. Her binoculars gave her a good view of the outskirts of the city.

"Given their technological prowess, this village would appear to be completely unrelated." Klena stated quietly.

"Maybe." Mark replied. "They may not have adopted clean industry, like us."

"Perhaps." She acknowledged. "We need to get closer."

"Lead the way." Mark gestured toward the buildings before them.

Klena stood up and slowly worked her way down the hill before them, staying in the shadow of a massive metal building before them. The sky was black, but thermal imaging showed an enormous amount of cloud cover, probably due to the pollution in the atmosphere.

There was a small alleyway in between each building, Klena headed for one keeping her tricorder out with one hand and actively scanning. She stopped just shy of the alleyway, the tricorder detecting a large energy barrier.

"Commander, direct the light on your phaser rifle towards it." Klena stepped back.

Mark activated the lamp and shined it on the entryway. Klena starred for a second, convinced that she had seen very very small wires crossing the gap. She held her stare for a second, ensuring that she was focused and then looked again. This time she saw them clearly. They were separated by about 2 centimeters each and ran from side to side.

"Gonna need to use the main entrance it looks like." Mark gestured to the wires. "There's no telling what they're attached to, could be a nuclear reactor for all we know."

"Indeed."

Klena led the way around the buildings towards an area were there was another entry along a wider road. To their dismay, there were a handful of soldiers, dressed in black leather combat suits. The uniforms gave off the appearance of being unnaturally large, so the logical assumption was that they were armored, most likely against low tech blunt force or stabbing weapons.

There were four of them. One in a very small building just inside the perimeter of the city. The three others were standing in front of a gate. There was no physical obstacle but a quick tricorder scan revealed that the same barrier that existed between the buildings also existed here.

"Is this a city or a prison?" Mark whispered. "It defies logic."

"Indeed," Klena scanned the entry with the binoculars, "however illogical though it is when compared to our standards, perhaps this society views this same system as a method of protection."

"From what?"

"I have not yet ascertained that answer. We need to get inside to find it."

"How is still the question..." Mark's voice trailed off as he heard a rumbling in the distance.

Klena heard it as well, and they both dropped to the ground. Coming down the road was a wheeled vehicle, resembling the old military supply trucks of 20th century Earth. It had eight wheels, two in the front for navigation, and six in the back, to support a large compartment.

"Looks like a troop transport." Mark stated. "I'd guess they could easily fit twenty men in there, not counting the two or three that could fit in the driving compartment."

The guards at the gate clustered around the vehicle. They were talking with the driver. Klena couldn't make out their exact words, but every once in awhile the universal translator would pick up a phrase and translate.

"...new recruits..." one said, she couldn't tell which.

"...pick up 40 tonight..." another replied.

"...more later..."

"If we move now, we've got a chance, they're all on the other side of the vehicle!" Mark whispered, coming up from his prone position to his knees.

"Agreed." Klena felt the adrenaline hit her as she and Mark darted towards the gate. She kept her tricorder out, scanning. The barrier had indeed been lowered, no doubt for the vehicle to pass through. Without much more than a sound, and certainly without being spotted they made their way into the city.

When the first chance came, they darted into an alleyway, both breathing heavily. Klena switched the tricorder over to detect life signs in the immediate vicinity. The display lit up, but the guards at the gate remained motionless... and they were surrounded by Kithosians.

In either building next to them, hundreds of people could be detected each scan cycle. There were no windows into the alleyway, and they hadn't seen any while they'd been running, but there was no doubt that people lived in the nearby buildings.

The sounds of the vehicle moving again brought them back to reality, away from the scan readings. It had stopped just in front of the building next to them. Klena pressed her back against the wall and listened.

There was a loud clank as a very heavy door was opened. "The Supreme Lord asks for volunteers, two are requested from this residence."

Silence was all that greeted the voice of the Kithosian who had made the query, which Klena calculated had to be one of the soldiers from the vehicle. What followed produced all the signs of a struggle. There was a series of crashes are doors were kicked in, followed by screams and shouts, then muffled thuds.

Then just as suddenly as it had begun, the rustling stopped. Klena looked back at her shipmate. "We need to get this information to the Captain."

"Hold on." Mark slowly inched closer to the front of the building, looking around the corner were the vehicle had stopped. True to what they had heard, soldiers were escorting civilians, dressed in rags, to the back of the vehicle. The resistance had stopped, if there had been much to begin with. "That certainly is interesting, they look like... well, I'd say war refugees."

"It would provide a logical explanation for the fences."

"But it doesn't explain why these are the population centers, it's illogical."

"You do not need to speak of logic to a Vulcan, Commander." Klena watched as the soldiers filled their vehicle and then turned around and head out of the village. It was then that she noticed other vehicles in the distance at various other buildings.

"There must be at least 10 trucks." Mark remarked after a second, "and that's just within eyeshot. What about the rest of this settlement?"

Klena took a breath, calming herself. Part of her wanted to lash out in anger against the Kithosian soldiers, their weapons were probably strong enough to decimate the trucks, but what good would it do? The information would have to do. "Retreat Commander, back to the ship."

Mark nodded, hesitating slightly before following.

XXX

The ceremony concluded rather abruptly when there was a loud chime. The Supreme Lord wasted absolutely no time in leaving, grabbing both of his escorts and heading deeper into the Palace. The servants appeared once more and began scooping up plates, glasses, and utensils. Each guest and their escort began to file out, heading for the guest chambers.

Sean offered Kate his arm as they stood up and headed for their own. They seamlessly blended into the traffic, most of which were keeping a minimal amount of eye contact with each other. Most of the women were especially withdrawn. This of course added more red flags to the large number already flying in his head.

Kate glanced up at him, an eyebrow raised in question, but kept quiet, not wanting to create a scene. They'd have a chance to discuss what they'd seen later. When they reached the door, it parted automatically, admitting them into a lavishly furnished chamber.

Central to it all, was a cylindrical bed, with a teal cover, that rose almost a meter off the ground. There was a series of teal drapes that could be pulled to completely encircle it. Along the wall, a pair of armoirs with full sized mirrors and finished in a dark polished wood sat next to a desk with a chair and another mirror. The walls were warm with elegant tapestries draped across every surface, light bled through their surface, given they were mostly gold and red that left the room with a very natural hue.

There was another drape covering an entry that lead to another chamber. Sean pushed it aside to reveal a bathroom. The floors and ceiling were partially transparent and illuminated from the other side by massive white light fixtures. The walls were white, the entire room felt out of place with the other one.

It contained a bathtube, notably big enough for two, a shower unit, and the usual accessories of any other normal bathroom. There was no mirror though. At least the bathroom was one constant in the universe. He let the drape fall back into place, turning his attention back to the center of the room.

Kate had sprawled out on the bed, smiling contently. "This certainly is comfort..." her voice trailed off and Sean knew her well enough to know something had bothered her. She made no sudden moves however, instead just glanced over at him.

Sean walked towards the bed, wondering what had just gotten into her. "Kate what..." He was interrupted as she reached out and pulled him on top of her. He was just about to push himself back up and ask her what the hell was going on when her heard a whisper.

"Play the game Captain..." Kate whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, "there's a camera right above us."

"A what?" Sean couldn't have heard her correctly.

"We can switch positions here in a bit... but that's definitely a surveillance camera."

"In the bedroom?" It was beyond sense really, but rhetorical questions had to be asked when someone was spying on a bedroom.

"Ridiculous I know." Kate motioned for him to move.

Sean took a deep breath and quickly exchanged positions by rolling sideways on the bed. Kate kept her arms tucked behind him as they rolled and he wrapped his equally. She pressed herself close resting her head against his so he could see the ceiling, while still playing this game she had initiated.

True to her word, he too identified the black sphere cradled in the ceiling. It had shifted as they'd moved too, which gave away its true nature. This of course brought up the question who felt they needed to spy on them... and why, what did it matter back here?

Either way he needed to stall for time. "Kate, why don't we get ready for bed and then continue." He didn't whisper that phrase.

"Okay Captain." Kate kept her voice low.

"Check the bathroom good while you're in there." Sean whispered. "I'll see if I can't get us a bit of privacy."

To that Kate grinned ear to ear. "Privacy?" She slowly withdrew herself, heading to the bathroom, closing the drapes behind her.

Sean briefly checked the armoirs. They were both stocked with a set of clothes, one for men, the other for women. They were styled in the Kithosian style, however simpler, probably nightwear. Thankfully, he simply had to make a call to the Guenidier.

He tapped his commbadge. "Guenidier, respond?"

Nathan's voice answered him. "Yes Captain, enjoying your date?"

Sean sighed... he probably was going to have a tough time living this down. "Yes Commander, can you have Laysi send down a set of more appropriate night gear and our uniforms for tomorrow, I don't really want to get back into this."

"I get it, you just don't want to leave do you?" Nathan's voice carried a hint of mockery. There was a brief pause. "She's beaming them to you now."

"Thank you Commander, should be all I need for now."

"Enjoy your night Captain, don't be sore tomorrow, night shift will taking over here shortly."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say anything, out." Sean closed the channel, definitely going to have trouble living it down.

True to his word, second later two sets of clothing materialized on the bed. Two sets of standard federation issue sleepwear and two black jumpsuits. Though admittingly, the federation sleepwear was the same color, minus the pockets and made of a softer synthetic fabric. They were also two pieces. He took Kate's set and passed them to her in the bathroom.

"It's clear in here." She murmured.

"At least there's some privacy..." Sean replied.

There was a chime at the door, sounding remarkably like the door chimes back on the Guenidier. He crossed the room quickly. The door opened automatically to his presence, revealing Demi Adjunct Brie Ling, still dressed from before the party. She nodded politely. "Captain, may I be granted an audience with you?"

Sean frowned, stepping out into the hallway. "Yes?"

Brie waited until the door closed behind him. "The Supreme Lord wishes me to let it be known that if you do not wish to engaged in sexual activities with your escort tonight, he wishes to have the honor."

"Engage in sexual activities, not exactly subtle is it?" The sinking suspicion had been present before... but he had expected to be able to side track it.

"It is tradition, that is the purpose of bringing escorts." Brie lowered her voice. "If you have any respect for your friend, you will do this so that she is not forcibly taken to the Supreme Lord. There are guards watching."

"I noticed the camera." Sean kept his voice equally low, fixing her with a glare. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You've shown me respect Captain, I'm am repaying that debt." She glanced back. "Now I must go, for her sake Captain, you must do this."

Sean didn't reply, trying very hard to keep from glaring at Brie in icy hatred. Not that he was mad at her per say, but he was certainly mad at the situation he was finding himself in.

Brie quickly turned and hurried down the hall. Sean took a deep breath... bailing could prove to be very dangerous for the Guenidier in orbit, especially with the concentration of military firepower the Kithosian's had. Additionally, combined with the efforts of the two Adjutants earlier, Sean was fairly certain these people were not going to be their allies, and even if they wanted it, he certainly couldn't stand for many of the things they'd encountered tonight.

He entered back into the room. Kate was still in the bathroom, most likely already finished changing. He cursed to himself, taking their uniforms and setting them on the desk. He quickly changed off in the corner into the other set of nightwear. He placed his commbadge on the nightwear, and folded the dress uniform up and set it on top of his jumpsuit.

He crossed the room again, stopping just outside the bathroom. "Kate, dressed?"

She poked her head out. "No Captain, I'm totally naked." She grinned from ear to ear, pulling the curtain aside as she did. She was dressed in the nightwear the Guenidier had beamed down. Sean entered, closing the curtain behind him.

"We're going to have to do an emergency beam out and risk pissing our hosts off."

Kate quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"There's an expectation from this night that we weren't made clear of," Sean started rambling, "maybe because the Supreme Lord has the hots for you, maybe not."

"And we're supposed to make passionate love all night long, right?" Kate finished.

"I was trying to phrase it a bit better than that." Sean crossed his arms and leaned against the sink. "Problem is I bet they'll react fairly quickly if we beam up, not to mention our shuttle is still down on the ground, which is an asset I'd prefer not to lose." He shook his head. "Means two separate transporter beams up. That's all before the Guenidier can raise shields and get out of here."

"Options?"

"I don't see any good ones..." Sean stared at the edge of the curtain keeping them concealed from the room. "If I'd known what we'd been walking into... I'm sorry Kate..."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Don't be. As for their expectations of us... the only ones who know how humans have sex are me and you."

"Good point, my guess is they have some idea, most sentient beings of this universe go about it in a similar way."

"Not all though." Kate took a step closer to him. "Look... we can make this work..."

Sean looked up, meeting Kate's gaze. "Professionally Kate... I just...look... I..."

"It may be stupid." Kate took another step closer. She flashed a smile. "I'm not ugly, right?"

Immediately going on the defensive, Sean quickly stammered. "No! Not at all! You're... beautiful."

Kate was shaking with laughter, she leaned against the wall, still laughing. "Good reply Captain." She laughed a bit more before sobering. "Don't make me do all the work here."

Sean froze. Part of him was perfectly willing to give in, the other part of him, the professional part screamed for him to just take the chance and beam out. Morals were everything, how could he possibly do what she was suggesting. He was her commanding officer, all of it was wrong.

He sighed. "I can't make this decision. Can you?"

Kate shook her head. "Not alone." She stood up.

He also stood. In the confined space, they met each other's eyes, barely a few centimeters separating them. "It comes down to the ship and what's good for the crew doesn't it?"

"Partially." Kate sighed. "That's not to say that..."

Sean closed his eyes, looking to the ceiling for a second. He took a deep breath. "Okay, I just dropped the rank." He met Kate's gaze again. "Kate... this would so result in us getting court martialed if we were in Starfleet."

"Good thing we're not Starfleet then." Kate nearly tackled him, wrapping her arms around him and meeting him in a series of kisses that sent chills down his spine. The release of tension alone worked wonder to improve his mood... and well... there would be other side effects later, if they made it from the bathroom to the bedroom.

Well, he guessed the Kithosians would be getting their show anyway...

XXX

"How'd it go?" Nathan asked, as Klena entered the Bridge. As usual, Klena's control was near perfect, but something clear was on her mind. He frowned. "I take it not good?"

"Our mission was successful." Klena replied, meeting his gaze from the center of the Bridge. "I fear we will have to make a very quick escape from this world."

"Their cities..."

"More like prison camps Commander." Klena turned to the viewscreen. "Has there been any further word from the Captain?"

"He requested appropriate nightwear, as they were expected to stay the night." Nathan doubled checked the time stamp on the transmission. "I had Laysi transport it down bout 10 minutes ago."

"Place the ship on yellow alert." Klena ordered. "Keep shields down for now but have all system ready for a very quick escape."

"So I take it we're not sleeping tonight?" Erica asked from the helm.

"Unfortunately no Ensign." Klena replied. "Tell the night shift to report to their backup duty stations."

"And meanwhile the Captain and Kate just get to... sleep... down there," Nathan sighed, "while we do all the hard work."

"Sleep... sure... if that's what you tell yourself." Erica murmured.

"Did you wish to add something Ensign?" Klena asked, moving to the operation's console.

"Oh no." Erica laughed and quickly got back to work.

XXX

Sean opened his eyes slowly, had it been a dream? Nope. A slender arm was draped over his chest, and a head was snuggled up next to his shoulder. He tensed as a chime came to the door, waking Kate up in the process.

"Huh?" She murmured, rolling away from him. "I don't like the noise... make it stop!"

Sean glanced at her incredulously, drawing a smile from her. "Just a moment." He pulled himself up and out of bed, grabbing his night shirt from the corner of the bed as he did. He crossed the room and opened the door. "Yes?"

Brie was waiting again. Her outfit had changed... color anyway. It was now a dark purple. The rest was almost the same. "It is morning Captain, and the Supreme Lord has decreed that you are to leave in 1 hour. Senior Adjutant Min has requested to meet with you near your ship before you go."

"Alright, I'll meet him."

Brie looked at the ground. "Captain, may I make a request?"

"Ummm... sure... and you can look me in the eyes when you say that."

She met his gaze for the first time. "The Supreme Lord is most unhappy with you Captain, dangerously so. I wish to avoid his inevitable wrath." She breathed deeply. "I'm asking if I may join your crew."

"You do realize that by doing this, you'll probably be branded a traitor by your people." Sean said softly. "And we have no shortage of enemies either."

"Captain, you're going to find out sooner or later." Brie stated. "The Kithosian people are slaves to the Supreme Lord. We just don't know a way out. I want to help my people."

"You really think you can do that through us?"

"The respect you've shown me has convinced me."

"How's this gonna work really?"

"I will escort you to your ship, after you have finished talking with the Senior Adjutant, he will leave. At that point I will board your ship."

"Simple enough. Give us a few minutes."

Brie nodded. Sean closed the door, frowning. It was either a deadly trap, or possibly the real deal. He'd make sure she was kept under watch once they got back to the ship. The last time they'd taken passengers aboard, it hadn't been a good day.

Kate had crawled out of bed while he'd been talking. She'd already changed into her usual duty uniform, hair tied back in a tight ponytail. "Get dressed Captain, if what I heard is true, we've got to move."

Of that he had no doubt.

XXX

There'd been no sign of the Supreme Lord as they'd left the Palace. No doubt someone had been watching them go, but he didn't hazard calling the Guenidier until they were outside and walking down the path to their ship. The sun was rising ahead of them, forcing them to shield their eyes against the glare.

Their shuttle remained where it had been parked, with the sunlight reflecting off its polished exterior. Senior Adjutant Min stood alone next to it, currently admiring it. He was dressed just as he had been the previous night, and carried a black notebook. He didn't notice their approach, which meant this scheme might just work.

Brie slipped off to the other side of the shuttle as they closed. Sean walked straight up to the Adjutant. "Yes Senior Adjutant Min, you wished to speak to me?"

"I wanted to discuss our offer."

"No." Sean replied flatly. "I do not wish us to be enemies, but I won't work with you the way you want me to."

Min folded his arms in a very human gesture. He glanced at Kate, but only for a second. "Very well Captain." He produced another sheet of paper from his notebook. "One thing before we go Captain, you've made a lot of waves here."

"Purely by accident." Sean motioned for Kate to go ahead and get the shuttle ready.

He passed the paper to Sean. "However, I personally believe many of the waves are much needed. The Supreme Lord has declared you to be a threat to the Kithosian people, probably because he didn't get to recreate with your escort last night. However, know that not all are like him. Maybe in time we'll have a chance to meet again."

Sean frowned. "Alright Senior Adjutant, are you an ally?"

"Yes, but I don't expect you to take that at face value, as you are not stupid." He smiled. "And neither am I. I know you are taking Demi Adjunct Ling with you, she is a sign of where your support in our population is coming from."

"From the women."

"They are a very powerful force, that has been ignored for too long. She will know how to get in contact should you need to." Min turned. "And Captain, I wish you well in your travels."

"Thank you." Sean quickly turned and darted into the shuttle, closing the boarding ramp behind him. As he climbed into the seat he called up the sensors. Brie was sitting on the rear benches.

"Shuttle systems are green." Kate stated. "I've got the Guenidier on scan."

Sean lifted the shuttle off the ground and aimed the nose for the sky before ramping up to full impulse. "Kate, get on the comms with Guenidier and let them know we're coming in fast. Inform Klena to prep for departure."

Before long, teal skies transitioned to black with white pinpoints of light as he pulled out of the atmosphere. In the distance, the Guenidier rapidly swelled. Sean smiled, happy to be back with his ship. The shuttle bay doors were already open.

"Guenidier tractor beam in... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1, locked." Kate announced.

"Good." Sean replied. He activated a tight beam comm transmission. "Klena, get us the hell out of here!"

"Affirmative Captain." Klena replied. "Lieutenant Dulmane is taking the ship to warp now."

The shuttle had just set down on the hanger floor. Sean breathed a sign of relief. He glanced back at Brie. "I'll have security assign you quarters and get you settled, please wait there until someone comes for you."

Brie nodded. "Yes Captain."

"Let's go Kate, make sure we're not being pursued."

XXX

"That is my report Captain." Klena said from the chair across the desk. "I do not believe an alliance of any sort with them is a good idea."

"And I'm in total agreement," Sean leaned back in his chair, "I can't put this ship and this crew into that kind of situation."

"Sometimes, cultural difference are sufficient reason Captain."

"That of course brings to the table what we should do about Ms. Ling." Sean frowned as he looked at the ceiling for a moment, before returning to meet Klena's unshifting gaze. "I personally believe her story, but after what happened last time..."

"Security should be our main concern, I recommend that we keep her access to most of the ship restricted."

"I'm not going to put her in the Brig, but limiting her access is a good plan." He crossed his arms. "Thoughts on where we could assign her?"

Klena imitated Sean's gesture. "She knows nothing about this ship or its systems, and given our concern over security there are few roles she could fulfill. I suggest sickbay."

"Good enough place to start, and Lshan could use the extra help."

"However, I recommend keeping a security detail near her for some time."

"I don't like the idea of wasting our man power like that... however, I can have them keep an eye on her through the ship's internal sensors."

"You are correct Captain, however providing Lshan with a phaser should work just as well."

"Alright, then I'll go down and pass along the information." Sean stood. "Good work by the way, your information on the 'normal' Kithosian people is very important. Keep it security restricted to senior staff in the computer."

Klena nodded. "Yes Captain."

XXX

When he entered Brie was staring out of the window of her quarters, into the stars that streaked by as the ship was in warp. Her Kithosian formal wear had been replaced by the black jumpsuits that all of the Guenidier crew wore. She had her arms folded, and turned as he entered. She bowed her head.

"Not necessary." Sean said softly, staying near the door. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know." Brie replied, turning back to the stars. "What was once clear..."

"Trust me, I know the feeling." Sean allowed the door to close. "I talked with my first officer, and we've decided to put you in sickbay."

"Sickbay?"

"Where injured or sick crewmen receive treatment." Sean sighed. "We're desperately undermanned here, and Crewman Lshan will be your supervisor."

Brie nodded.

"She'll also assist you in getting settled on the ship, teach you how things work, and hopefully help with your ability to read our language."

Brie nodded again, staying silent.

"Do you have any questions?"

"No Captain."

Sean nodded. "Crewman Striker will stay outside for the evening, and he'll get you to sickbay and the mess hall tomorrow morning." He backed up. "Good night."

Sean let the door close behind him, nodded to Jason and then headed for his next destination. One more loose end to tie up.

XXX

He was admitted in without a word after he rang the door chime. Kate had the lights partially dimmed and a steaming cup of hot chocolate on her desk. She grabbed it and took a seat on her bed, taking a small sip of it.

Sean sat down on the bench next to the window, neither of them were exactly sure to say. It was Kate who spoke first. "I'm not sorry." She wrapped her hands around the cup.

Sean didn't know how to respond. "I'm not sorry either." He said in an imitation of her sentiments. "I'm just... I could take the rank off down there, but I can't here."

"I know." Kate looked away, setting the cup on the bed stand. "So what are we going to do?"

Sean shook his head, feeling his gut sink in response. "I don't know... I just don't know."

"Well," Kate stood up, a smile on her face, "only one thing to do then."

"How can you smile?" Sean felt guilty.

"Look... Cap... Sean," Kate sat down next to him. "It's the curse of the starship captain, I understand that."

"It's not an excuse for..."

"Of course it is." Kate put a hand on his shoulder. "You can have a girl in every port, or none at all."

"Not true, I'm not Kirk," Sean met her eyes, "I don't want to just give up that easily."

Kate let her hand fall into his. She gave it a quick squeeze. "Oh Captain, my Captain. Give it time. We've still got to figure out how to clear our names."

"And survive the fact that this is probably going to be gossiped about by everyone."

"Especially from our Kithosian visitor."

They both laughed. Kate leaned on Sean resting her head on his shoulder. "We've got lots of time Captain."

"Alright, we won't try to tackle this in one night." Sean took a deep breath. "One condition though, on duty it's purely professional."

Kate nodded. "I understand Captain."

"Off duty though..."

"No arguments from me."

"Gonna be crazy." Sean smiled sheepishly.

"Remember our mission?" Kate grinned from ear to ear. "I think we already fall into the crazy category."


	11. 1x04 Unknown

An alarm siren blared faintly in the background. Tendrils of pain shot from her eyes straight to her brain as she cracked her eyes open against the brilliantly well lit holodeck ceiling. Erica could feel her entire body rebelling against the light, refusing to move because of pain that spread outward from her back.

Counting silently to 3, she forced herself to roll over, open her eyes again, and crawl to her knees. White tendrils of fire danced up and down her body, making it hell to even try and concentrate. She nearly fell to the floor again, saved only by quickly shifting her weight to both her hands and knees.

"Come on Erica... think." She muttered to herself. She focused in on the alarm siren, muted by the holodeck door. Using it as an anchor she forced herself to dissect the sound. It was the standard alert tone used for condition red.

_Okay, then why am I not on the Bridge? _She thought to herself. Her memories were blocked by the pain in her head. The world began to swirl again. _Oh no, no way! _With nothing more than brute force she forced herself to stand.

The world turned sideways just as quickly and once again she found herself on the floor. Every muscle in her body ached anew. She swore openly in one of the more colorful dialects from pre-first contact Earth. She rolled back onto her back and tapped her commbadge. "Lt. Dulmane to Bridge."

There was no response.

"Lt. Dulmane to Bridge, please respond."

Still no response.

"Lt. Dulmane to anyone?"

Somehow she'd predicted the answer. No response. Either comms were down, or she was alone. Either way she had to get herself out of this mess. First step would be to walk again. Second step, figure out what the hell was going on.

"Computer, activate the EMH and transfer him to... whichever holodeck I'm in."

There was a sizzle as the EMH was brought online. "Please state the nature of the..." He paused, looked around. "This is not sickbay."

Erica pounded a hand against the floor in frustration. "Doctor, if you could please assist me?"

"Very well, state your symptoms."

"Dizzy, sensitivity to light, and a lot of pain." She replied quickly, knowing it was the best way to get anything out of the holographic doctor.

A medical tricorder materialized, no doubt holographic, but it still worked in the doctor's hand. "Lie still."

It wasn't like she was going to be able to move.

"Mild concussion, the rest is simply bruised muscle from impact with the floor." The Doctor stood up. "Please come to Sickbay to receive treatment."

Erica sighed. "Computer, site to site transport, one to sickbay. Transfer the doctor back to sickbay as well."

She was thankful for small miracles as a wave of energy swept over her body, dissolving it into energy and transmitting it across time and space. It was only scary if you thought about it. In reality it was the feeling of weightlessness for half a second, and frankly, after being beamed from point A to point B for most of her life, it didn't phase her.

The EMH stopped his protests upon being returned to sickbay, gave her a hypo for her head, and dimmed the lights. The combined effect of all three slowly lessened the amount of spinning the world had been doing. It also let her think again, that was when the memories started to come back.

XXX

_12 Hours Earlier_

"Okay Kate," Erica said as they exited the Mess Hall, "what really happened down there?" Erica had a pretty good hunch, she'd said as much before the Captain and Kate had even gotten back from the Kithosian homeworld.

However, guilty as charged Kate and him now sat next to each other instead of across at the table during meals. And it was subtle too, the extra half second stare that Kate would have when she looked over at her Captain, the way they both glowed slightly in each other's company.

"Nothing!" Kate protested, turning slightly crimson as she defended herself.

Erica stopped half way down the hall throwing her arms out to either side in a shrug. "I don't believe a word! There's rumors flying all over the ship."

Kate continued walking, smiling, but shaking her head in frustration. "Nothing happened!"

Erica laughed, crossing her arms as Kate continued down the hallway. "That's a lie and you know you it." Her raised voice had a drawn a look from Mor'tah as the massive Klingon had walked past her.

Kate turned and sighed, before ducking into the turbolift. Erica smiled in smug satisfaction and headed the other way. She had a few hours of holodeck time, and it was certainly time that she used it. Besides, she really didn't need to hassle Kate about a week ago... much.

XXX

Erica hauled herself up from the sickbay biobed. She'd turned the Doctor back off after he'd replicated some magic hypospray concoction for her condition. Apparently the sickbay medical supplies were mostly depleted. Given there was no one on the ship, that probably shouldn't have been a surprise.

She half-walked, half-stumbled over to the medical console and accessed the ship's computer... and the logs. She had to find out what had happened. The first thing she checked was the ship's compliment. Both shuttlecraft and all the escape pods had been launched. The supply rooms were nearly empty, even the armory. The ship had been almost stripped clean.

That didn't bode well for her at all. The computers were also under a partial lockdown. She could only get full access from localized systems, with her access code, the actual lockdown was under the Captain's code. First thing to check would be the warp reactor... and that meant going to engineering.

She took a deep breath to steady herself before leaving sickbay and heading down the hall. Even after tuning out the alarms, she made a note to actually silence them when she got to the Bridge. Hopefully by then, she would actually be able to think.

She couldn't make heads or tails of why the ship was abandoned. The hallways were clear and undamaged. She poked her head into a few rooms as she went, they too were in perfect order, as if they hadn't even been touched.

"Alien abduction?" Erica shrugged, closing the door behind her. "Computer, what's going on?"

"Access to ship status report require localized and authenticated access codes." The computer replied.

"So it's a partial lockdown then?" Erica smugly smiled as she entered Engineering. "So what has transpired here..." She moved to the next console down, entering her access code. A display flashed across the screen, _Read-Only Access Granted. _Okay, so it wasn't perfect, but it'd do.

She pulled up the logs...

XXX

"That's not right." William glanced up at the warp core from the central console in Engineering, then back at Mark. "You seeing this Commander?"

"Yeah... and it makes no sense." Mark tapped his commbadge while running back to the right alcove, checking the matter-antimatter intermix ratio. "Bridge, we're getting some strange readings from the warp core, what's going on up there?"

"What on Earth do you mean?" came Sean's reply.

"I mean it's like something is interfering with proper warp operation, be it a field or a particle stream, hell it could even be radiation."

"Mark, I've got Kate running scans, we'll update you as soon as we know anything."

"Roger, in the meantime, I'm going to try erecting a containment field." Mark turned towards the panel facing the warp core and did exactly as he said, the field sprung up to encase the warp core. "Anything?"

William frowned and shook his head. "No change, whatever it is, a containment field isn't cutting it."

"Okay, let's make sure it isn't the instruments." Mark ducked under one of the consoles near the door. "Initial reports indicate nothing wrong with our instruments."

William ducked into the left alcove. "We're starting to get inconsistent readings across the board, we need to get out of warp now."

Mark tapped his commbadge again. "Bridge, we need to drop the ship out of warp."

Almost immediately the ship slowed down in response to the engineer's query. "Kate's sensor sweeps aren't picking up anything." Sean replied, "do you have the situation in control?"

"I don't even know what the situation is!" Mark replied exasperated. "This shouldn't be happening!"

"I'm at a loss." William added, out of comm range. "All the systems were green just a moment ago."

"Bridge, we're going to keep working on it, but things are looking bad right now. If we can't pin the problem down we may have to the eject the core."

"Last resort please Mark." Sean replied, the worry evident in his pained tone. "We lose that core and it's a very long time till we have a chance to get another one."

"Understood." Mark replied. The thought of ejecting the core scared him just as much, impulse would only get them so far, and it wasn't as if he could simply build a warp core out of duct tape and popsicle sticks... well it hadn't been done yet. Should he be concerned that he almost wanted to eject the core now?

XXX

Erica advanced to the next log entry, an hour later. Attached to the previous entry had been a series of reports detailing the complete lack of any explanation for the warp core problems. She glanced up at he warp core before opening the file. It looked fine, minus the alarms.

She pulled up the current status of the warp core. According to the computer, the ship was in perfect working order. That didn't make sense...

XXX

"We're barely holding containment down here Captain." Mark replied over the comms. "All attempts to eject the core have failed."

"Then we're running out of options." Sean's voice replied. "We've got a possibility on our scanners. It's not pretty, but we can survive on it."

"We'll try and hold it together just a bit longer." Mark scrambled from console to console on the ground floor. Realistically, he hadn't even made any progress, he was just trying anything and everything he could possibly try to fix the problem. William was working the same angle from the top floor. They didn't need to talk, and over the wailing alarms, it didn't really matter.

"Warning, warp core breach in thirty minutes." The computer's ominous and completely emotionless voice reminded them.

"In warp or not, no change." Mark murmured to himself. That makes no sense. Power draw should have a direct impact on the rate of destabilization." And why couldn't they eject the core? There was no mechanical reason why, the entire situation was bad.

"All hands, this is the captain." Sean's voice again. "Grab any and all essential supplies, and prepare to abandon ship, senior staff will take the shuttles, everyone else man the escape pods. Coordinates have been preprogrammed into them, make sure you grab your cold weather survival kits. Everyone has twenty minutes to clear the ship, move!"

Mark slammed his fists down on the controls. "Damnit!" There wasn't much left they could do. "Lock down the engineering functions, command code access only!"

William nodded in acknowledgement from the top deck. "Done!"

"Done!" Mark took one last look at his engine room, wasn't exactly how he pictured ending his career...

XXX

The logs ended there. Erica double checked the timestamp on the message, it was 10 hours prior to the current time. Which meant that the warp core hadn't exploded, and according to all the readings, something was very very wrong. There was nothing wrong with the core or the engines. In fact, according the readings, they were in perfect working order.

"So you're either crazy, or the whole world is." Another thought that troubled her... how had she ended up in the holodeck... her last memory was on the holodeck enjoying her program up until blacking out and waking up here. "Computer, where was I during the two hours prior to this message?"

"Holodeck 2." The computer replied.

"Excellent, and why was I not contacted?"

"Communication records exist for that timeframe. Error, communications within the holodecks were blocked by an unknown force. Error, data from that time frame in holodeck 2 is corrupted."

"That blocked the alarms too?"

"Unknown, there is insufficient data to process that request."

Erica frowned. "Is this 'force' still present?" She made a point to make air quotes with her hands, despite there being no one to see her gesture.

"Unknown, there is insufficient data to process that request."

Erica sighed this time. "Well you're no help." Whatever it was, she was beginning to suspect whatever had drove the crew off the ship had some kind of motive behind it, and it was definitely foul play. The holodeck had prevented her from even hearing the evacuation order, leaving her the only one on the ship.

"Computer, nearest armory location that is still stocked?"

"Deck 8, section 5." The computer replied. "Ship complement has been reduced by 85%."

"At least they took most the guns..." she murmured, before logging out the console and heading towards the weapons, from there she'd head for the Bridge. Hopefully there her command code would actually work. On her way, she kept silent, watching her footfalls. If they did have intruders aboard the ship, she didn't want them knowing about her... not until she had a phaser rifle in hand that was.

The armory was in lockdown, but her access code opened it on command, giving her access to the entire stock. She grabbed one of the camouflage jackets in addition to a hand phaser and phaser rifle, there was no such thing as too many guns.

"Computer, run a full ship scan, I want to know if there's anyone else on board, including those that may hide from the standard internal scanners."

"No additional lifeforms detected."

"No biomasses, no residual goo, no foreign chemicals?"

"No abnormal activity detected."

"The only abnormality being that I'm the only one left onboard." She shook her head and headed for the Bridge.

"Correct Lieutenant, however that is not a ship function."

Erica stopped dead in her tracks at the Computer's voice. "Did you just..." She broke into a jog, still avoiding turbolifts and opting for the jefferies tube access to each deck. It also allowed her to run a quick search as she went, just to verify the computer's readings that there was nothing on board. She climbed the first rung of the ladder, but stopped for a second. "And computer, no crew is abnormal for a starship a long way from home."

"The modification has been made to the computer database. Lack of essential personnel will be regarded as an abnormal behavior of all ship functions in the future."

Erica smiled, before continuing her climb up. "Awesome."

The jefferies tubes came up in the hallway directly behind the Bridge. She exited the small access room and entered via the conference room, being careful to listen before moving. The chances of an ambush were rather high, and if there were intruders, they had to be here. Only silence awaited her as she held her breath before darting into the conference room.

She rapidly moved to the next door, and onto the Bridge. The lights were flashing red, but at least from here she'd be able to turn them off. The damage control display near the back indicated the cause of evacuation, the "warp core breach." The timer till the breach was in the negative numbers, indicating that the computer thought it should have breached awhile ago.

Using her access code, the console reset upon being unlocked. The system showed normal now. It even canceled the alert that had been wailing since she'd woken up. She frowned, checking consoles as she went, reading the various log entries to piece together what had happened. Most of it she already knew from the engineering logs.

However, as she read through Kate's... that was the real shocker.

XXX

"Where's Erica?" Sean glanced over his shoulder at Kate. "Any ideas Kate?"

"She was headed for the holodeck an hour ago." Kate replied. "She should still be there."

"Go." Sean gestured for Kate to take the turbolift. "Klena, cover her station."

Kate wasted no time, not even bothering to finish the sensor sweep. She immediately took the turbolift down several decks. Erica not responding to the comms didn't make an sense at all, and all attempts to get her to her duty station had failed in the last thirty minutes. That and the problems with the warp core, it'd be ridiculous for her to ignore them. It simply wasn't fathomable.

She keyed the access on the door. The program was offline. _Huh?_ The door opened, to reveal a completely empty holodeck. Kate was almost positive this had been the one Erica had been going to. Regardless, she'd owed it to her crewmate to check the other one.

Darting by the other crew running to their duty station, she took the turbolift back up and checked the other Holodeck on Deck 4. Again, nothing and no one. It didn't make any sense. "Computer, locate Lt. Erica Dulmane."

"The Lieutenant is on Holodeck 2."

"No she's not." Kate replied quickly. "Sensors can be damned..." She sighed, heading back for the turbolift and up to the Bridge. Her friend was missing. She relieved Klena when she got back up, resuming the sensor sweeps. "No sign of her sir, both holodecks are shut off and no one is inside. She's not there, regardless of what the computer says."

She caught Sean's worried glance. She knew he was debating the best course of action. "Klena, I want you running an internal sensor sweep of the ship for residual traces of transporter activity, she didn't just vanish."

XXX

Erica leaned against the rear console. "That makes no sense." Her mind quickly ran up any number of possibilities. The first of which being the most ridiculous, someone had beamed her off the ship. A quick glance at the later logs, before the situation got out of control showed that the search for any reason for why she was not on the holodeck had been fruitless. She simply had vanished.

Then why did she wake up on the holodeck floor, on a deserted ship? She darted over to the tactical station and activated the shields. It would hopefully stop any further attempts to beam. She couldn't end the lockdown completely, only the Captain could. She had enough access to do what she needed though.

Next stop was her own console. She was able to unlock it completely. According the computer, the ship was currently at warp. The command had been a delayed entry by the Captain himself, a last entry before locking the console. She frowned, the decision couldn't have been an easy one.

She glanced at the Captain's console, no, she didn't need to read that log entry. It was bound to be a personal one. However, she was going to need their previous location, before warp. She scrolled through more of the logs in her console, tracing the stardate and location of the command.

XXX

"Captain." Klena's voice caught Sean's attention. "We've reached our destination!"

Before the ship on the viewscreen was a brilliantly white planet, covered in snow. It would suffice, that Klena knew. Though this did mean that their journey was over. She could clearly see the Captain's worry as he paced back and forth behind her, waiting to give the order she knew he would. The hardest order for any Captain.

She saw him take a deep breath, before speaking into the shipwide intercomm. "All hands, this is the captain. Grab any and all essential supplies, and prepare to abandon ship, senior staff will take the shuttles, everyone else man the escape pods. Coordinates have been preprogrammed into them, make sure you grab your cold weather survival kits. Everyone has twenty minutes to clear the ship, move!"

Klena felt a hand on her shoulder, followed by the slightest push to go. "Go Klena, I'll set the ship on a course away from here."

The Vulcan nodded, feeling empty. "I'll hold the final shuttle for you."

"Thanks Klena, I just need a moment." Sean took the seat at the helm.

Klena didn't look back as she headed for the turbolift and ran down the halls to the shuttle bay.

XXX

Erica felt a tear run down her face. She quickly brushed it away, reversing the ship's heading back on it's original course. According to the computer, it'd take 8 hours, even going at high warp. "Come on old girl." She whispered as the ship turned around.

She spun around in her chair, looking at the near empty bridge before her. She unzipped her jumpsuit halfway, exhaling deeply at the same time. What had happened to her? At this moment, she didn't have time to analyze that. She had been absent from the ship, but now she was here, with the shields up.

"Computer, I want a transporter lock on me constantly. The instant you detect anything abnormal, beam me to another deck of the ship." A plan was forming in her head.

"Clarify, which deck?"

"It doesn't matter, just get me to safety." Erica replied. "And I want every sensor pallet you have on my previous location. I have reason to believe I was transported off the ship by some means other than conventional transporter operation."

"Affirmative, transporter lock has been established."

Wasn't quite like having another person on the ship, but at least it was something that could keep an eye on her. Heaven forbid, she needed a wingman with her right now. The deathly silence around her was almost enough to put the alarms back on.

"Computer, are there still no lifeforms besides myself on the ship?"

"Affirmative."

"Well, I don't believe you, and I need to pass the time." Erica grabbed her phaser rifle and headed for the jefferies tube, to continue sweeping the ship. She'd do an inventory at the same time. Knowing the Captain, he'd taken most of the equipment. Just in case something went wrong, she needed to know where she stood.

XXX

Sean raised his arm against the freezing wind. It only mildly helped. He tightened the hood of the parka, further reducing his field of vision, but helping against the cold. A shuttle descended in front of him, hovering just above the packed snow at the base of a large cliff. Another three crewmen disembarked and headed into the cave behind him. That brought the total to only four more still unaccounted for in their escape pods.

Weather had made landing at precise coordinates near impossible for anyone not in the shuttles. The Guenidier's escape pods had been scattered all over a ten mile valley. The Shuttles, piloted by Klena and Kate had been running back and forth tracking down locator beacons one at a time. Some of the crew had injuries, but most were fine.

Mark and Nathan were working non-stop to establish a camp inside the cave. The first order of business being to seal up the entrance, so warmth could be maintained. Most of the crew was working on that, using snow as a sealant, leaving only a small entrance and exit. Others were exploring deeper into the cave. Finally, a third group was clearing another cave to serve as a landing pad for the shuttles when they were finally needed.

"Kate here," Sean's communicator, muffled as it was, chirped. "I've got the last group, bringing them home."

"Affirmative Kate." Sean replied. "Bring them in, then start salvage operations on those pods. Mark will have teams out here."

"Yes Captain." Klena replied.

Kate's shuttle descended out of the low level clouds and intense snowfall before him. The last four crewmen disembarked and another 3 boarded, the first of Mark's salvage teams. Klena's shuttle was only moments behind, another team of 3 boarding. Sean made sure all four were safely inside before doing likewise himself.

Truth be told, he felt almost warm inside the cave. "Mark, tell me you have good news." He said as he came up to the engineer working with a pile of components on the floor.

"Somewhat..." He replied. "I'm trying to work up a small containment field, to try and keep the heat in, while still letting us get in and out and allow for air exchange. Hopefully the teams I sent to salvage what they could from the pods will get me some of the parts we need."

"Suppose that's something. Where's Nathan?"

"With a security team deeper in the cave, our comms barely work in here so they're out of contact."

"I'll start working on that problem." Sean grabbed a tricorder from the pile of Starfleet emergency kits on the ground and started scanning.

XXX

Erica closed the hatch behind her. Her sweep of the ship had confirmed that the Captain and crew had taken just about everything they could carry off the ship, especially with regards to the ship's emergency supplies. She was alone too, or at the very least nothing was hiding in the various chambers, conduits, jefferies tubes, etc of the ship. That still didn't explain her absence from the holodeck...

As she climbed the ladder, she felt a slight vibration pass through the ship, seconds later there was the intense sensation of being beamed from one point to another. Reality came together around her as he molecules were rearranged on the Bridge. She vaulted over the railing and to the operations console.

"Computer scan results. What the hell just happened?"

"Scan data still processing, initial information depicts a 20-30% chance of a possible foreign transporter beam."

"Localize, find the source!"

"Affirmative."

Erica held her breath for several seconds. Then suddenly it happened again, this time depositing her in Engineering. She darted for the nearest console, unlocking it for use. "Computer, I want answers."

"Sensor data still processing, 90% chance of foreign transporter activity."

"Computer, initiate random rotation of all shield harmonics, continue scan analysis."

Sensor data was starting to fill the screen. Numbers, letters, and finally coordinates. She focused the external sensors on that point. That was when she felt the sicken sensation of a transporter beam again. She hastily locked the console, before blacking out.

XXX

With salvage and retrieval operations nearing completion, more of the crew were in the cave. The fires had risen the temperature to just below freezing, enough so that the ice wouldn't melt, but also so they also weren't freezing. Mark had managed to complete the forcefield generator, the key to the entire plan. With his help, communications were almost online as well.

"Okay, this relay booster should help, especially since we've fined tuned the signals to not be absorbed by the cave." Mark finished cobbling the device together. He set it in one of the now empty supply containers. With a few sparks, it activated. "Try it now."

"Nathan, report."

"Captain?" The reply was barely audible, clogged with static. "Didn't think we had comms."

"We fixed that, can you give me an update?"

"We found a water source back here, running tests." Nathan replied. "Life form readings are non-existent, but I swear there's something here, could be the cave is screwing with the tricorder... or the cold."

"Understood, regular reports from here on out please."

"Yes sir."

Sean turned his attention back to Mark. "It works, nice job with the relay." He turned his attention to the forcefield. "Kate, Klena, report?"

"On final run now Captain," Kate replied, "ETA 30 seconds for the salvage teams and another 2 minutes for me."

"I will be able to meet the same time table as Ensign Filander." Klena added. "Meteorological reading indicate that this storm may get much worse soon Captain."

"Just get yourselves home safe," Sean stressed, "we can always unbury the shuttles if we have to."

"You got it." Kate replied.

XXX

Erica gasped for breath, coughing up load of bile into her pillow as she violently awoke. Her uniform was draped across her chair, the same place it usually was when she went to bed. She threw the covers off, noting that she was indeed in her undergarments. "Don't panic." She said to herself. "Don't panic."

"Computer status report."

"All system nominal." It replied cheerfully as if nothing was wrong.

"What happened to me?"

"Unknown, sensor logs show that you have been sleeping for exactly 4 hours."

Erica chewed on her lower lip nervously. "Computer, display time on personal console." The time blinked on the small screen. "Dear god..." According to the time, she had been incapacitated for 12 hours. "Computer status of shields?"

"Currently operating on a rotating harmonic frequency, shield integrity 100%."

She threw her uniform on, then darted down the corridors towards the Bridge, going to grab a phaser rifle along the way. "Summary of sensor scans conducted 12 hours ago."

"Scan indicate 100% possibility of foreign transporter activity, but no data is available after that point. Unable to determine source, likelihood of activity occurring outside the ship, 100%. Sensor data analysis in progress. Transporter beam harmonic resonance detected. Shield harmonics have been adjusted to compensate."

"Good job Computer." Erica said, more to herself than to the computer as she entered the Bridge. She darted for her console, checking course, speed and direction. Course had been altered, only by a few degrees, but enough so that the ship was not even going to pass within the original targeted solar system.

She altered the input, resetting the course. The ship turned hard at warp. Just a suddenly, alarm sirens began to wail. "Unknown contact detected." The computer announced.

"Power weapons, drop to impulse." Erica ordered. "This is gonna be fun." The added bit was purely for sarcasm. Her chances of successfully engaging a target were very low, since the entire ship was more or less being run by the computer. She'd have to fly and shoot at the same time.

"The situation does not classify as fun."

Erica momentarily stared in shock at the computer's response, off timed, but ironically, funny. "Computer, we're gonna have a talk when we're done, transfer tactical control to my station."

"Sensor scan on the hostile contact."

"Sensor pallets are unable to acquire lock, automatic targeting unavailable."

"Well keep trying." Erica frowned as she watched the viewscreen, she'd have to do this manually. "Maintain static forward view, transfer manual targeting controls to my console, fix all phaser arcs to fire on set points and display on the main viewscreen."

She rolled the ship towards the contact, getting barely a glimpse of it before it vanished from her view, moving at a speed she didn't think would've been possible. All she could make out was a series of red highlights on its otherwise black hull.

She hauled the ship around, again catching only a glimpse before it vanished. Getting a direct view was going to be impossible like this. Time for a new strategy. She locked in a fixed course. "Computer, manual viewscreen control to my console."

Her hands flew across the controls, cycling through the views one by one, until she found her alien friend. It had nestled itself securely under the DFP cannons. Which was a problem. The phasers down there had been partially stripped out to accommodate the cannons, which of course only fired forward.

"Computer, any change in the scan results?" She glared at her enemy, it was shaped roughly like a triangle, with various blood red lines running up and down it's hull. There were no markings.

"Negative, sensors are unable to acquire lock," and as far as the computer was concerned, it wasn't there.

"Lock this then..." Erica manually targeted the alien ship, and fired what phasers she had. The weapons arced out, one missed, the other struck home, hulling the alien ship. Before the phasers could re-fire, the alien ship jetted off and away. She'd lost it.

"Computer, beam anything left in that area of space to cargo bay 2, establish a level 5 containment field around it too."

Erica continued checking, the alien ship was indeed gone. She allowed herself to breath again, before resetting her course for where the Captain and crew had abandoned ship. Maybe she'd be able to learn something from any alien debris leftover in the meantime.

XXX

Crewman Ellen Tyler knelt at the edge of the stream. She pressed a few buttons on the tricorder to begin the scan, then tucked her hand back into the heavy glove. Seconds later the tricorder returned a positive reading on the water contents.

"We got pure water Commander."

"Tag the location." Nathan replied, only glancing back at her, his eyes were fixed further down the cave. "Then I think we should get back."

"Still seeing ghosts?" Jason said with a smirk.

Nathan shook his head, ignoring the quip. "I know there's something down there."

Ellen ran another scan from the tricorder. "Still picking up no life form readings, no energy sources." She shivered. "But we all know the tricorder could be wrong."

A noise drew Nathan's attention. "Did you hear that?"

Both Jason and Ellen remained perfectly still and listened.

He heard it again. "There, again!" Nathan began to move forward, deliberately keep his weapon raised and slowly scanning every inch. "Standard formation. Move."

Jason and Ellen fell in place two steps behind and two steps to either side, their weapons raised as well, following suit. The trio slowly advanced deeper in the cave. It only took a minute before they all heard the noise.

Ellen pulled out her tricorder again. "Still nothing Commander." She whispered.

Nathan's eyes narrowed on the field ahead of them. "Then it's likely invisible to tricorder scans, we'll just have to improvise. Use your eyes and ears crewmen."

"Yes sir." They echoed in unison.

They continued forward, pausing every step to scan and sweep. The only moving objects were their shadows. Nathan paused as they came to an fork in the path, three more caves leading off in different directions.

That was when the clicking started. It was barely noticeable at first, Nathan couldn't identify which path it was coming from. He held up a hand, gesturing forward but motioning for Ellen and Jason to stay put. He slowly inched forward, sweeping his weapon from side to side, tracking the shadows.

Then he heard movement, and a shadow passed over him, blocking his weapon's light. Dread filled him with the realization that not only where they invisible to tricorder scans, but also to visual inspection. Nathan rolled as he heard some kind of projectile fired at him. He came back to his feet and fired as he ran back towards Ellen and Jason, both of whom had added their own phaser rifle fire.

More projectiles lanced out, impacting the snow and ice around them as they fired blindly in response. Nathan never had a chance to get a good look, he only could fire and move, working from cover to cover as they retreated.

"Captain!" Nathan shouted after tapping his commbadge and rolling behind a large chunk of ice. "We've got hostile contact down here... we're falling back!"

"Understood, we'll set a trap."

In the meantime, Nathan and his team would have to just have to make a fighting retreat.

XXX

"Kate, Klena, Crewman Mills, on me!" Sean yelled, drawing the attention of the rest of the crew. "I want security teams 1 and 2 to guard the entrance to the tunnel."

Sean met up with his team at the entrance, they'd each grabbed phaser rifles from the impromptu armory that had been setup at their basecamp. He also ran into Mor'tah. The Klingon was holding a much larger phaser weapon.

"Captain, I wish to accompany you."

Sean took a look at the Klingon's gun. "What did you do to that phaser?"

"I have enhanced its firepower, rate of fire, and optimal range. It is a weapon much more suited to a Klingon." He paused. "And whatever you are facing, you will need my help."

"Can't argue with that, I've got point, Klena with me." He gestured towards the tunnel, raised his weapon, then started moving forward. "The rest, bring up the rear."

He lead them into the tunnel, holding his phaser with one hand and a tricorder in the next, following the navigation beacons that Nathan had set. At about 200 meters, three lifesigns, Nathan and his team, were fast approaching.

They were currently in a narrow tunnel, not a good place to be when planning an ambush. However, just ahead was a small cavern. Large ice boulders were present on either side, but more importantly, they could set at trap from here..

"Nathan, keep running towards us, we're about..." He glanced at his tricorder. "...50 meters behind your current position."

"Understood sir." Nathan replied, obviously winded. Phaser shots were also heard in the background from his transmission. "It's invisible... whatever it is!"

"Understood, just keep coming to us." He gestured for Mor'tah to take the most central position, just behind a large snowbank.

Mor'tah checked the strength of the barrier, satisfied that he couldn't break it. He set his oversized phaser up, and deployed a bipod to further stabilize his firing pattern. Sean and Klena took positions on the far side of the room. Sean kneeled on the floor and Klena stood behind him, aiming over his head. Kate and Crewman Mills took up a similar position on the other side of the room.

The sound of phaser fire, plus shouts filled the cavern. Less than half a second later, Nathan, Ellen, and Jason came running through the entry way. They all immediately dove out of the way as Mor'tah opened fire, filling the cavern with the sound of his overpowered, rapid fire phaser. Everyone else added theirs. For seconds there was only the sound of phaser fire.

Sean held up his right hand, signaling them to cease fire. He waited for a second. Then another series of projectiles lanced out, impacting Mor'tah and Nathan's cover. They both ducked as the others opened fire in response. This time a shrill screech rang out from the area affected.

Sean held up his hand again as the screeching subsided. There were several impressions in the ground, but no signs of blood or even a corpse. Silence settled on them. Sean dared a look at his tricorder. Still no lifesigns aside from their own. Nor any movement. He held his breath and listened.

More screeches echoed in the tunnel. Then another round of projectiles flung out. A few came dangerously close to Sean. One grazed Kate's leg, driving her to the ground. "Open fire!" Sean yelled.

Phaser rang out in response, but it was a losing battle. This time the projectiles weren't stopping, their phaser fire wasn't having the same effect. Sean gestured to Mor'tah for covering fire as he and Klena ran across the room.

Mor'tah stood up as Sean crossed the central snowbank, still firing while almost running sideways. Kate and Crewman Mills were already moving up the passageway. Sean covered the rear, motioning for Klena to take point.

"Security teams 1 and 2, we were overrun." Klena said into the comms, supporting Kate's weight at the same time, "enemy force is unknown. Begin evacuation of the cave. Get to the shuttles."

XXX

Erica entered the cargo bay with a tricorder in hand, phaser at her hip. A few pieces of debris were present behind the forcefield on the cargobay transporter pads. Erica walked to the console near the transporters. "Computer, analysis of the debris."

"Analysis inconclusive." The computer replied. "Material properties are refracting all sensor beams."

"Okay, so you can't analyze it." Erica murmured to herself, imputing a series of commands into the console. "But can you at least give me a clear detection and weapons lock in the future."

"Perhaps." The computer replied.

"Perhaps?" Erica asked incredulously. "Yes or no computer. Is the refraction of the sensor beams enough to get a clear reading with some creative engineering voodoo."

Erica inputted another string of commands. She configured the sensor beams to operate in tandem, trying to triangulate the target at the same point. "Computer try this again. Simulate a combat engagement and attempt to triangulate a weapons lock on one of the debris pieces."

"1st attempt unsuccessful, unable to find range of the target, chance of sensor beam collision less than 1%."

"Well, better than nothing." Erica replied. "But not good enough." An alarm sounded on the console, indicating that the ship was approaching the location where it had dropped off the crew. She prayed they were still alive.

XXX

Sean and Mor'tah cleared the tunnel last, their path being enveloped in phaser fire from the security teams at the mouth of the cave. Screeching gave way to more razor sharp projectiles being launched from the cave entrance, everyone took cover behind the hastily erected barricades of snow and ice, mixed with some unused cargo crates.

They all poured fire into the cave mouth, overloading the screeching with shear volume of fire. Whatever creature it was, it had to be dead or dying now. Or at the very least being held back. However, the phaser rifles would overheat eventually, if the charge packs didn't give way first.

Mark dived to the barricade next to Sean and Mor'tah. "Most of the crew is on their way to the shuttles. We're leaving a whole lot of equipment behind."

"Think I don't know?" Sean asked incredulously. "Nathan, what's your tactical assessment?"

Nathan took a break from firing, giving his rifle time to cool down. "Anything in there should be dead, but... there's every indication that they'll keep coming."

"Okay, we'll hold as long as we can." Sean ducked under cover as a wave of projectiles impacted the crate in front of him. "Hold the line then, lets get as much of our personnel safe as possible."

"And the equipment?" Mark said as he got ready to run again.

"More expendable than people, but if we beam some of it with the shuttles..."

"I've been dropping commbadges on them already."

Sean smiled before rejoining the fight, he must've hired Mark for good reason. They'd just have to hold for now.

XXX

Erica took her position at her console, just as the Guenidier dropped out of warp. A planet loomed before her, a white ball of snow and ice. Not exactly a nice spot to drop anchor, but a quick sensor sweep confirmed it was the only inhabitable planet in system. That same sensor sweep gave her the coordinates of a large concentration of commbadges.

"Lieutenant Erica Dulmane to Captain Cunningham please respond."

The sound of phaser fire emanated from the ship's comm system as he responded. "Erica... my god you're alive. How?"

"No idea Captain, but I'm sitting in orbit with the Guenidier, and it's rather lonely here."

"But the warp core overloaded... we saw an explosion!" Sean replied.

"Captain, I can explain further. I'm no illusion, do you need transport?"

"Very much so, but we've also gotta save as much of our equipment as possible. We can hold another few minutes, target the ship's transporters on the equipment we've got in the cave that Mark is tagging. Then start grabbing the crew at the shuttles."

"Computer, you got all that, start transport."

"Commencing transport operation," The computer responded, "estimated time till completion 5 minutes, all equipment is being deposited in the unoccupied cargo bays and holodecks 1 and 2."

"Shuttles 1 and 2," Erica commanded, "respond."

"This is Crewman Wales, Lieutenant it's good to hear your voice. We're gonna make a sweep past the cave, grab a load of supplies, then we're going to be headed for you."

"Affirmative, opening the shuttle bay doors."

Erica's hand flew across the console, monitoring the computer's beam up status and it started to beam personnel to the transporter room. "All hands to your stations." She announced over the ship's comms. The Captain still had to hold for another four minutes.

XXX

A projectile lanced out as the first of their phaser rifles overloaded. Klena took one straight in her shoulder. It spun her around, dropping her to the floor. Green blood began to seep from her wound. Thankfully Kate was already on top of it, tapping Klena's commbadge. "Computer, priority beam out directly to sickbay."

Klena dematerialized along with a wave of equipment from their makeshift camp. Kate pushed herself back to the firing line, using both her's and Klena's rifle, until hers overloaded, spitting its energy pack to the snowy floor, where ice and snow melted quickly to the intense heat.

She looked away for a second to grab another one and took a projectile into her upper torso. She screamed and fell backwards.  
"Kate!" Sean yelled, not daring to take his eyes off the firing line. "Please tell me you're alright."

"Ouch." Kate's reply came in response. "I don't think I'm gonna be getting up, I can't feel my legs."

Sean hazarded a glanced back at her, but a glance was all he was going to get. "Hold on!"

The next to fall was Mor'tah, taking a projectile to his left arm. This didn't deter the Klingon, even as his pink blood began to ooze from his wound. He continued to fire. Sean knew it was getting down the wire, everyone did.

That was when their cover was beamed out by the computer. Sean hit the deck, ducking just in time to avoid a massive wave of projectiles. Thankfully, by the time the next wave came towards them, they were all enveloped in transporter beams. It was good bye to that ice ball.

XXX

"Transport procedure complete." The computer stated.

Erica allowed herself the breath. She ran one final sweep of the surface to check for any people left over, anything the computer had missed. As expected the computer had been flawless. "Good work girl." Erica patted her console. "Set course... away from here, warp 9."

Erica stood and turned for the turbolift, just in time to see the Captain enter, with Nathan flanking him.

"Captain on the Bridge." Erica announced, smiling shyly.

Sean walked towards her, smiling as he did. "Erica... you don't know how happy I am to see you alive."

"Probably the same as I am towards seeing you all again. I thought I'd been left behind."

"Never." Sean said. "You're a member of my crew, and I will never leave you behind, ever. Well... provided I have a choice in the matter."

"Good to know." Erica smiled. "Thank you Captain."

"Ship status?"

"In warp away from there."

Sean took his seat. "Then I can breath too."

"That you can Captain. I'll fill you in after you've had a chance to get settled again." Erica took her seat. Her heart swelled with warmth, and a single tear of joy ran down her face. Thankfully, the only one who could see her tear was her.

XXX

Erica approached Kate's biobed in sickbay as the EMH walked off, heading back towards the main sugical unit with Klena. "How are you doing?"

Kate smiled up from the bed. "The venom from that spike or whatever it was started to hit once the adrenaline wore off." She closed her eyes for a second. "But the EMH says I'm going to be okay since he extracted it."

"That's good to hear, if you died on me who would I hassle for the good gossip on board... especially with regards to you and the Captain."

Kate's cheeks turned red. "I told you."

"I know what you told me." Erica smirked. "But I'm not stupid."

"No." Kate laughed, the color fading from her cheeks. "What happened to you?"

"I don't know." Erica replied. "Whatever it was, I was taken from this ship for some unspecified length of time."

"Did you have the Doc check on you?"

"Did that when I first woke up, no sign there's anything wrong with me." Erica tried to force a smile. "Doesn't mean anything though, the alien ship I engaged wasn't detectable by our scanners."

"Alien ship?" Kate asked incredulously. "Did I miss something?"

"A lot really." Erica could really smile this time. "But you'll get filled in about the same time the Captain does."

"Okay, I can wait then... but I will have your secrets!" Kate said with a giggle.

"The only way you'll get my is to spill yours." Erica replied quickly, fixing Kate with a glare. The two women shared opposing gazes before both exploding into a laughter.


End file.
